PMK favours reservation for OBCs in educational institutions

Patna, June 26 (UNI) The Pattali Makkal Katchi(PMK) today said it favoured reservation for Other Backward Classes(OBC) in educational institutions and expressed the hope that the UPA government would implement the quota proposal from the next academic session.

Talking to mediapersons here today, founder president of the party Dr S Ramadoss said the OBCs constituted 60 per cent of the population and were denied reservation in educational institutions for more than 58 years.

He regretted that despite provisions in the constitution, OBCs did not get their due, while Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes enjoyed the benefits of reservation in educational institutions.

Mr Ramadoss said the Kaka Kalekar Commission had recommended reservation for OBCs abou 51 years ago and added that ''had it been implemented then, the community would have moved far ahead on the path of allround development.'' ''Similarly the reservation benefit should have been granted to OBCs 26 years ago, had Mandal Commission recommendation been accepted by the government soon after its submission.'' Dr Ramadoss has met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Union Human Reources Minister Arjun Singh in this connection.

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