NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, JULY 8
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and DMK President M K Stalin on Wednesday opposed any move to tweak criteria for determining the creamy layer among the Other Backward Classes, saying it would deprive deserving candidates from availing reservation benefits as well as welfare schemes of the Central government.
In separate letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the two leaders of arch-rivals ruling AIADMK and DMK urged him not to include salary and farm income to figure out beneficiaries for reservation in education and jobs and for welfare schemes and continue the existing policy.
கல்வி, வேலைவாய்ப்பில் ஓ.பி.சி பிரிவினருக்கான கிரிமீ லேயர் வரம்பிற்கான புதிய திருத்தத்தை கைவிடக் கோரி மாண்புமிகு பிரதமர் பிரதமர் திரு. நரேந்திர மோடி அவர்களுக்கு மாண்புமிகு முதல்வர் திரு. எடப்பாடி கே.பழனிசாமி அவர்கள் கடிதம்.
— AIADMK – Say No To Drugs & DMK (@AIADMKOfficial) July 8, 2020
Citing media reports that the Centre was contemplating revision of norms for determining creamy layer among OBCs by including salary and agricultural income, Palaniswami said these two components were currently excluded.
“These are currently excluded from the calculation of income for the purpose of determining the creamy layer for OBCs, to grant reservation and welfare measures,” he said in his letter to Modi. If salary and agricultural income of parents are considered to be part of the overall income, this would disallow OBC status to several deserving candidates from availing reservation in admissions to jobs, as well as welfare schemes under the Central government, the Chief Minister said. “I request you to continue the existing policy of determining the creamy layer by excluding agricultural and salary income,” he said.
Amidst the unprecedented #COVID19 crisis, marginalized sections of society are at a greater disadvantage than others.
With inequalities increasing, @PMOIndia must ensure decisions that go against the best interests of India's SC/ST/OBC communities are reversed immediately. pic.twitter.com/UuZ32RCl6O
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) July 8, 2020
Stalin, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, said economic criterion went against the spirit of reservation. “That is the reason why it has not found a place in our Constitution in regard to reservation.We have been opposing the creamy layer right from the start. “Hence, including salary to be part of the income test to categorise the creamy layer within OBCs ignores the social barriers that continue to exist for marginalised communities in India,” the Stalin said. He urged the Prime Minister to “reverse this decision” on priority and ensure that the livelihoods of OBCs were protected.
Also, he wanted abolition of the All India Quota (AIQ) seats in medical and dental admissions and the National- Eligibility-cum Entrance Test (NEET). By doing away with AIQ, the state governments should be allowed to have “their own selection process including setting apart some seats as unreserved seats after fulfilling their reservation obligations,” he said.
Stalin claimed NEET decimates the “right of the state” government to regulate medical education and also went against students from marginalised sections who could not afford private coaching (to prepare for the test). According to the Tamil Nadu government, there are six (criteria) norms for assessing persons to be excluded as creamy layer within OBCs. One of it specifies income limit for exclusion from OBCs. The income limit was fixed at Rs one lakh per annum initially in 1993. It was upwardly revised to Rs eight lakh with effect from September 1, 2017, he added.
