CHENNAI: The Pattali Makkal Katchi, a constituent of the United Progressive Alliance and vocal supporter of reservation for backward classes, is disappointed with the Centre over the quota Bill.

"We are disappointed on three counts. The Government has decided to implement the reservation scheme in a staggered manner, instead of doing it in one go. Two, the Bill was introduced on the last day of the monsoon session. Thirdly, we are not in favour of referring the Bill to the standing committee," PMK founder S. Ramadoss said on Friday in an interview with The Hindu .

Recalling that Communications Minister Dayanidhi Maran had made a strong case in favour of the quota at the UPA-Left Coordination Committee meeting in May, he said it was decided then that the legislation would be adopted in the monsoon session.

But this had now been diluted. "This being so, how are we, the PMK and the DMK, to face the public?"

Dr. Ramadoss, who went round the country in the last two months to mobilise support for the legislation, pointed out that the Assembly had adopted a resolution requesting the Centre to go ahead with the 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes in educational institutions, controlled and financed by it. It also suggested an ordinance to implement the reservation.

Had there been a unity among the DMK, the PMK and the Rashtriya Janata Dal on the issue, an ordinance would have been promulgated, he said.

Though all parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party, supported the legislation on quotas as also the 93rd Constitutional Amendment, "some elements in the Congress" ensured the dilution of the original decision, Dr. Ramadoss said.

It was surprising to him why Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, who had stoutly opposed the Centre's decision to disinvest in the Neyveli Lignite Corporation, had not made any such move in the case of quota.

Coverage criticised

Dr. Ramadoss along with his party members staged a demonstration in front of the Memorial Hall in Chennai to oppose "the approach of a section of the print and electronic media in the coverage of the quota issue."

Clarifying that the agitation was not against the media per se, he said because of the "dominance of some authoritarian forces in the media" the news coverage was done in a way that was detrimental to the interests of the backward classes.

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