Chennai, India - Unfazed by the Supreme Court's disapproval of quotas in the country beyond a stipulated limit, the Tamil Nadu Government on Thursday announced exclusive reservation for Muslims and Christians in government services and educational institutions.
Tamil Nadu already has 69 per cent reservation for backward classes, which is among the highest in the country. But this is subject to legal scrutiny.
Keen to fulfill an election promise, the ruling DMK has accepted the recommendations of the Janardhanam Commission to provide for exclusive reservation for Muslims and Christians.
But it comes with a catch and a rider. The catch is that it will be within the existing 69 per cent quota. And the rider is that it will hinge on the SC's decision on Tamil Nadu's 69 per cent quota.
"The Tamil Nadu Government will take steps to provide for reservation for Christians and Muslims in education and employment," said M Karunanidhi, Chief Minister, Tamil Nadu.
Judicial scrutiny
The neighbouring Andhra Pradesh Government's experience with reservation for minorities doesn't seem to have deterred Karunanidhi. The five per cent quota for Muslims there didn't stand judicial scrutiny.
The precedent has given the opposition AIADMK room to question the feasibility of this provision.
"Karunanidhi only promises, never does. He is just paying lip service to minorities," said Bader Sayeed, AIADMK Spokesperson.
Christians and Muslims constitute 11.7 per cent of the population in Tamil Nadu. They have been a traditional DMK vote bank.
Just last week, the Supreme Court stayed the 27 per cent OBC quota in Central Institutions.
While critics may see this move as tokenism, Tamil Nadu seems to be taking a confrontationist stance on an issue that has divided the nation.