Chennai: Health Minister C Vijayabhaskar has said an all-party meeting will be convened Monday (8 July) to thrash out the issue of 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker sections (EWS).
The Minister said this while speaking to mediapersons after releasing the rank list for MBBS and BDS seats in Tamilnadu.
The release of the medical rank list had been delayed as it was hinging on the government’s decision on the 10 per cent EWS quota. Though admissions to arts and science colleges and engineering colleges in the State had been completed without taking into consideration this quota, the Indian Medical Council had asked Tamilnadu to implement the latest quota system.
The quota is meant for economically weaker sections among the forward castes that had so far been ignored by all the parties that ruled India and Tamilnadu.
But since Tamilnadu already has breached the 50 per cent reservation ceiling set by the Supreme Court with its 69 per cent quota, the moot question was whether and how it would implement the 10 per cent EWS quota.
This question was raised in the ongoing Assembly session during zero hour by Leader of the Opposition in the House and DMK president M K Stalin. He sought to know the government’s stand on the issue which he described as a dangerously “poisonous snake”.
Responding to Stalin’s question, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami assured that he would convene an all-party meeting of recognised parties to discuss the issue. He said the government would not give up the 69 per cent quota that it had been implementing all these years.
He pointed out that all parties have to travel on the same road on the reservation issue.
Vijayabhaskar had told the House then that legal luminaries would be consulted on the 10 per cent EWS quota.