In an apparent shift from the position of his party on the 10% quota for economically weaker sections in the general category, P. Venugopal, the leader of the AIADMK parliamentary party, has told Parliament that he is not opposing the move to give “social justice and equal opportunity.”
At the time of adoption of the Constitutional amendment bill on the quota in Parliament last week, the AIADMK’s representatives opposed the Centre’s decision and staged a walkout from two Houses.
Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker and the party’s propaganda secretary M. Thambi Durai strongly criticised the Centre on the quota issue.
While participating in a debate in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday on the motion of thanks to the address of President Ram Nath Kovind to the joint session of Parliament last week, Dr. Venugopal, who has been representing Tiruvallur since 2009, also wanted the Centre to provide “Constitutional status” to the 69% reservation for Backward Classes, Most Backward Classes and Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (SC/STs), now in force in Tamil Nadu.