reservation in the private sector

The HinduAug 29, 2004Bring in Constitution amendment: PMK

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, AUG. 28. The Pattali Makkal Katchi today demanded that a Constitution amendment providing for reservation in the private sector be tabled in the next session of Parliament.

While welcoming the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government's decision to include this in the Common Minimum Programme, the party said it was necessary to implement reservation in the private sector early to "ensure equal rights and social justice."

A consensus should be evolved among political parties, said a conference organised here by the PMK.

As a first step, 25 per cent of jobs should be reserved in all establishments in which the Government had invested 51 per cent. Also, all institutions which got loan from nationalised banks or which received land at government rates and availed themselves of other concessions and public sector units which were sold should "compulsorily implement the policy of reservation."

The conference condemned "the planned malicious campaign orchestrated by vested interests" and supported by a section of the media that reservation in the private sector would lead to a fall in productivity and blunt competitiveness.

The Maharashtra Chief Minister, Sushilkumar Shinde, who delivered the keynote address, said that when the captains of industry approached him after his Government introduced reservation in the private sector, he told them that had there been no reservation in politics and the public sector, he would not have become the Chief Minister.

`Fallacy'

It was a fallacy to allege that reservation would bring down efficiency. "Efficiency and merit are not exactly the forte of India's industrial culture. Or else, we would not have more than 2.5 lakh units lying closed and thousands of crores tied up in non-performing assets. It is astounding and incredible that the upper castes that form a tenth of the population, concentrate within themselves nine-tenths of India's entire pool of merit," he said.

"If we want reforms to succeed, then as Noble Laureate, Amartya Sen says, all sections of our society must get opportunities to participate in the process of reforms. They must be made competent and party to this process. And in my opinion this is the underlying philosophical thinking behind the policy of reservation in the private sector," he said.

The PMK founder, S. Ramadoss, said Mr. Shinde, by the legislation enacted in Maharashtra, had shown the way for the entire country. He alleged that the Tamil Nadu Government was doing little to protect the rights of the weaker sections, though the State was a pioneer in the social justice movement. He stressed the need for all like-minded forces coming together to achieve social justice for the weaker sections.

The Union Health Minister, Anbumani Ramadoss, said the UPA Government was committed to implementing reservation in the private sector. As a first step, all parties would be consulted.

The Dravidar Kazhagam president, K.Veeramani, said those who argued against reservation were against the concept of reservation itself.

The AICC secretary, K. Jayakumar, stressed the need for ensuring the proper implementation of the existing reservation policy. The PMK parliamentary party leader, M. Ramadoss; the PMK president, G.K. Mani; and the Forum for Educated president, Jawahar Nesan, spoke on various aspects of reservation in the private sector.