Tamil Nadu Governor gives assent to bill for 10.5% internal reservation to Vanniyars

In the latest development, Tamil Nadu Governor Banwari Lal Purohit has given his assent to the bill providing a 10.5% reservation to the Vanniyar community in education and employment within the reservation for Most Backward Classes and De-notified Communities on Saturday. The Governor's approval came after the Bill was passed in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on 26 February. The bill also provides a 7% quota to Denotified Communities and the MBCs which have similarities with the Denotified Communities. Other MBCs not included in the category are provided with a 2.5% quota. The Act, which was notified on the gazette of the Tamil Nadu government on Friday, came into force 'at once' after the Governor's approval. 

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Bill giving 10.5% reservation to the Vanniyar community passed

"The Chairman of the Tamil Nadu Second Backward Classes Commission examined the demand made by various communities to provide for internal reservation within the Most Backward Classes and Denotified Communities for various categories and recommend to the Government that internal reservation may be given for three categories--- Most Backward Classes (V) - 10.5%, Most Backward and Backward Classes - 7% and  Other Most Backward Classes - 2.5%" read the CM's statement. 

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With this, the Vanniyakula Kshatriya community will be included within the 20% reservation of the Most Backward Classes. This covers Vanniyar, Vanniya, Vannia Gounder, Gounder, Padayachi, Palli, and Agnikula Kshatriya castes. "This is only a temporary arrangement. Changes will be made after the Justice A Kulasekaran Commission set up to collect quantifiable data on castes, communities, and tribes of Tamil Nadu, pertaining to various social, education, economic and political parameters of the population submits its report in six months," the Tamil Nadu CM said in the assembly.

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Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2021

The two warring factions in AIADMK - of Deputy CM O Pannerselvam (OPS) and CM E Palaniswamy (EPS), reconciled after the party named incumbent E Palaniswamy as its CM candidate and O Panneerselvam as the chief of the 11-member steering committee. With AIADMK announcing it will continue its national alliance with BJP, the saffron party is yet to officially announce its state-level alliance. Meanwhile, ex-CM Karunanidhi's successor - DMK chief MK Stalin eyes his maiden CM term as DMK cannot afford to lose a third straight Assembly election after sweeping the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls with 38 seats. Kamal Haasan's MNM has initiated alliance talks with Arvind Kejriwal's AAP while AIMIM's Owaisi has also expressed interest to fight polls in the southern state. Erstwhile AIADMK ally Samathuva Makkal Katchi, headed by actor R Sarathkumar, joined hands with joins hands with SRM Group Paarivendhar's Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi to fight the upcoming polls.

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