If Supreme Court scraps 69% reservation in Tamil Nadu, there will be riots: Anbumani Ramadoss

Anbumani Ramadoss warns that failure to justify 69% reservations in Tamil Nadu may lead to widespread violence.

Pattali Makkal Katchi president Anbumani Ramadoss on Monday said the DMK government’s “inability” to present adequate data to justify the 69% reservations for BC, MBC and SC/STs in the Supreme Court may result in the policy being scrapped, leading to widespread violence.

At a consultative meeting in Chennai in which representatives of various social and caste organisations participated to discuss the urgent need to conduct caste-wise enumeration, he claimed, “In 2009, Supreme Court judge Justice Kapadia delivered a verdict saying caste census should be conducted within a year and data should be presented to justify 69% reservation. At that time, it wasn’t done by Kalaignar (M. Karunanidhi, then Chief Minister). Janarthanan, who was the chairman of State Backward Classes Commission, justified the data. But, the case in Supreme Court remains. Now, the Supreme Court has said that the Maratha [reservation] case is completed and they would take up the case of Tamil Nadu.”

In his view, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin would not be able to justify the reservation. “If the court strikes down 69% reservation, we will not keep quiet. There will be riots in Tamil Nadu. You have the power. Did Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy conduct the [caste] census without power to do it?”

“When Tamil Nadu has a data of migratory birds, turtles, dogs and cattle, why can’t a caste census be done to implement social justice?” he asked.

According to him, Mr. Stalin had been indulging in ‘Goebbels propaganda’ that State government did not have to power to conduct caste census. “We are asking for a census to Union government. But, State government can do a survey,” he said and added Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was instrumental in making caste-census as an election issue.

Dr. Anbumani said that there would be a protest in Chennai initially. If the government failed to conduct a caste-survey, a State-wide protest would be held soon, he warned.