The Hindu : Front Page : Karunanidhi writes to Chief Ministers on quota issue

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Friday, Oct 27, 2006
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Karunanidhi writes to Chief Ministers on quota issue

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: Requesting all Chief Ministers to oppose the trend against reservation and social justice, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi has said that States should implead themselves in the Supreme Court case on the issue. They should see to it that it is referred to a 13 or more Judges' Bench.

In a letter to the Chief Ministers, Mr. Karunanidhi said there had been a setback to the system of reservation due to certain Supreme Court judgments. The recent verdict in `M. Nagaraj and others versus Union of India' went against the spirit of the Constitution. The preamble to the Constitution holds out to secure for all its citizens justice, social, economic and political. The Constitution contemplated reservation for only socially and educationally backward classes and not for any economically backward class.

The socially and educationally backward classes were under yoke for several centuries. Only after Independence, and that, too after reservation was incorporated in the Constitution, government services and educational institutions were opened up for them. The last 50 years had seen these classes gradually rising in social strata. The Supreme Court judgments had come as a shock to them.

Caste factor

Referring to the Supreme Court's observation that "reservation has to be used in a limited sense, otherwise it will perpetuate casteism in the country," Mr. Karunanidhi said casteism was prevalent in the country for thousands of years, despite revolts and campaigns to abolish it.

Casteism was an in-built mechanism in the religion itself. Therefore, continuing reservation would not perpetuate it. Reservation was in force only for the last 50 years. "Therefore, all the States have a compelling reason to oppose this trend against reservation and social justice... ," the Chief Minister said.

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