TN CM EPS slams MK Stalin, says DMK's protest against Governor for 'political gains'

Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi Palaniswami slammed Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief MK Stalin for attempting to hog the limelight by protesting against the Governor over his delay in granting assent to the 7.5% reservation Bill for students in the state and accused him of doing so for political gains. 

The Tamil Nadu Assembly had passed a bill allowing 7.5% reservation in undergraduate medical colleges to students who have studied in government schools from 6th grade to 12th & have cleared the NEET exam.

MK Stalin, on Saturday, claimed that the ruling AIADMK government was betraying the people of Tamil Nadu by maintaining silence over the inordinate delay of Governor Banwari Lal Purohit in giving his nod to the Bill and said that the DMK will protest in front of the Governor's House on Saturday.

Taking on DMK supremo MK Stalin, Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi Palanisami said that he had already submitted a letter to the concerned Central Ministers seeking their nod to the Reservation Bill on October 10 and that the DMK were trying to get 'political gains' by raking up the issue with the Governor.

Further, the AIADMK leader said that MK Stalin's attempt to hog the limelight and pin the blame on the ruling government over the delay in the passage of the bill not impact the image of the AIADMK in the minds of the people in the state. 

READ | VCK MP Wants President Kovind To Recall TN Guv Over His Delay In Nod For Reservation Bill

TN CM slams MK Stalin 

READ | DMK Says Its Ready To Protest Alongside AIADMK Over 7.5 Pc Quota In Medical Admission For Govt School Students

Stalin's letter to Governor Banwari Lal Purohit

In his letter to the Governor, Stalin said government school students could benefit from the reservation in this academic year itself only if the Governor gave his assent to the bill "without further delay." He recalled that DMK, the principal opposition party in the state, had supported the TN Admission to Undergraduate Courses in Medicine, Dentistry, Indian Medicine and Homeopathy on Preferential Basis to the students of the Government Schools Bill 2020 in the assembly. Stalin noted that his party has been demanding scrapping of NEET which acted as a "hindrance" for rural and urban poor to pursue medicine.

READ | Stalin Says EPS-OPS Will Split After Losing Polls; 'not Loyal To Jayalalithaa As Claimed'

VCK MP wants Governor to be removed

VCK MP Thol Thirumavalan had written to President Kovind, urging him to recall Governor Banwari Lal Purohit as the legislation for providing horizontal reservation to government school students in medical education was passed unanimously in the Tamil Nadu assembly and that it was well within the constitutional provision. Citing the SC & Madras HC verdicts from earlier in 2020 that upheld the power of the state government to pass laws providing quota within quota, Thirumavalan said that the Governor was not just creating an obstacle for students who had already cleared the NEET exam but was also triggering a constitutional crisis in the state.    

READ | DMK Chief M K Stalin Calls On CM Palaniswami