TMMK expresses satisfaction over 3.5 pc reservation

Chennai, Nov 22 (UNI) The Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam (TMMK) today expressed satisfaction over the 3.5 per cent exclusive reservation announced by the DMK government for the Backward Class Muslim community.

Talking to newspersons here, TMMK President M H Jawaharullah, said the 3.5 per cent reservation was the best the state government could offer under the present circumstances and the party was fully satisfied.

He said the state government's decision to provide 69 per cent reservation for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes has been challenged in the Supreme court and pending disposal of the case, the state could go only this much.

The state government also faced a constraint as the Apex court had directed it to limit its reservation to 50 per cent, he pointed out.

To thank Chief Minister and DMK President M Karunanidhi for announcing the exclusive reservation, the TMMK has organised a Thanks Giving Conference, to be held here on November 24.

He said the party had organised as many as 15 district conferences and held a number of agitations resulting in the arrest of several party cadres on the reservation issue and it was time for celebration.

The thanks giving function would be held at Nehru indoor stadium. Besides the Chief Minister, Minorities Federation President Peter Fernando and Organsing secretary Ezra Sargunam would take part in the function.

Flaying the BJP for dubbing the reservation as religion-based, he said the 3.5 per cent reservation announced each for Muslims and Christians, only applied for the backward class people in the two religions and thus, it was only caste-based.

The reservation would help seven segments of Muslims, who figured in the list of backward classes, he said.

UNI