TN: Bill to provide quota for Christians passed

The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Monday approved a Bill that would provide reservations in education and government jobs for Muslims and Christians under the state's quota law.

The Bill although was issued last month, it came to activation after all political parties supported it.

"Though 94 per cent of Muslims and 80 per cent of Christians in the state were classified as backward castes by the Ambasankar Commission in 1985, they were unable to compete with other backwards for their share in the absence of a separate quota.”

“Hence this government decided to provide them 3 per cent quota each in the 30 per cent quota meant for backwards," said TN Chief Minister Karunanidhi.

The Bill sought to provide 3.5 per cent reservation each to Muslims and Christians within the 30 per cent reservation provided for backward classes as per a law enacted in 1994.

Members of the Congress, PMK, CPI and CPI (M) welcomed the Bill and urged the chief minister to take steps to ensure that the new legislation faced no legal hurdles.

Meanwhile, the BJP on Monday, October 22, 2007 came out against Tamil Nadu
government's decision to provide reservation to backward class Muslims
and Christians.

"We oppose any reservation on the basis of religion," party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said here reacting to the passage of the reservation Bill in Tamil Nadu Assembly.

"We definitely support reservation for backwards, reservation for educationally, socially and economically backward. But that has to be secular reservation without the mention of religion," he added.

It is learnt that the decision of government was based on recommendations made by the State Backward Classes Commission headed by retired Madras HC judge Justice Janardanam.

This is the second time the chief minister of Tamil Nadu is providing exclusive reservation for specific castes among backward classes.