Separate reservation for 'Arunthathiyars' after committee report:CM

Chennai, Sep 5 (UNI) Promising to clear the doubts raised by the Christian community in respect of 3.5 per cent quota for minority Muslims and Christians, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today said separate reservation for 'Arunthathiyars' would be given after the receipt of the Justice Janardhanam Committee report.

Speaking after receiving the Honorary Doctorate from the Madras University on the occasion of its 150th year celebrations, Mr Karunanidhi said the government was awaiting the report of the Committee on Arunthathiyars.

Arunthatiyars are a sub-caste of Dalits, who were placed in the lowest rank among Dalits.

After receiving the report, the government would study it and announce special allocation of quota for Arunthathiyars on the lines of setting up a separate welfare board for them.

Thanking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, AICC President Sonia Gandhi and Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh for protecting 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in Higher Educational Institutions through law, Mr Karunanidhi said the Tamil Nadu Government had provided a sub-quota of 3.5 per cent for the minority Muslims and Christians within the overall quota.

In this connection, the apprehensions expressed by the Christians regarding the quota would be removed soon.

Mr Karunanidhi also recalled that the state had the long history of providing quota to Backward and Most Backward Classes from the days of Justice Party in 1920s.

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