DMK pledges full support to Arjun Singh

Thanjavur, May 18 (UNI) Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi pledged his party's full support to Union Human Resources Minister Arjun Singh on the reservation issue.

Addressing a public meeting at Tiruvarur near here to thank the people for voting to power the DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA), he thanked and congratulated Mr Singh, only as a Chief Minister but as the DMK leader for being firm in the decision to implement reservation in higher educational institutions.

He said reservation in education and jobs was imperative for the development of the oppressed classes, adding, thanks to the implementation of reservation in Tamil Nadu, one could see doctors, engineers and civil servants emerging from schedule caste and backward classes.

He said for the people of Tamil Nadu, reservation was a lifeline and they could not afford to forego their rights on reservation. As in Tamil Nadu, reservation for the backward and most backward classes, besides Dalits should be implemented all over the country, especially where there were oppressed classes.

Pointing out that such agitations were organised when then Prime Minister V P Singh implemented Mandal Commission recommendations, the DMK leader said reservation had helped the oppressed classes to come up in their lives and it should be continued at all costs to ensure that the weaker received their due share of benefits.

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