Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai has been trying to curb the Dravidian misinformation campaign on EWS quota. DMK has spread canards that it only benefits Brahmins. Annamalai listed out a number of jaatis that would benefit by the quota in an attempt to dispel the misconception.
DMK has been against providing quota for Economically Weaker Section from jaatis not included in OBC, SC and ST reservation. Dravidianists have been relentless in their campaign terming it as exclusive for Brahmins and unleashing a hate campaign on the community. TN is the only state that hasn’t implemented the EWS quota system and went to court against it to start with. BJP has been trying to dispel this misinformation campaign and educate the public about the real benefits of the newly introduced system.
In that regard K Annamalai (ex-IPS), President of TN BJP told media that 79 castes, Brahmins one among them, would be benefiting through the EWS reservation. “DMK has been at it since the beginning. They are depriving many castes of their right to benefit from the EWS system. More than 70 castes, the economically weaker part of them, are to benefit through this. Starting with Mudaliar, Chettiar, there are various castes covered in this system.”
“The Brahmin community is only one among the 70+ castes. Even Muslims, Christians are to be benefitted by this. It is for those who are economically weak. But DMK from day one has been showing their Brahmin hatred by claiming that it is ‘Brahmin quota’. They have been at it since 1949 and in 1967 even after they came to power, they have been continuing their Brahmin hatred and not cared to look into how it works or how many people/castes are to benefit by it”.
He issued a statement when DMK had organised an all-party meet to discuss the proceedings of EWS case chiding the party for depriving the rights of economically weaker section of 78 castes. The list of castes defined as “forward castes” mainly consists of Mudaliar, Vellalar and Naidu, the backgrounds of founders of Justice Party, the mother organisation of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
Apart from that it consists of Anglo Indians, Salvation Church, London Mission Christians, Malankara Syrian Christians, Roman Catholic Malankara Syro Malabar Rites, Converted Christians who belong to forward castes, Dawood, Syed, Mir, Mimon, Pathan, Khan, etc. Yet DMK continues its propaganda that only Brahmins will benefit from the EWS system. It is apparent that they don’t want to give even that miniscule representation to poor Brahmins. After all they gloated about having a 100% non-Brahmin assembly.
Dravidianists claim that BJP is fooling people claiming that it is for the economically weak as the income limit for the quota is set as Rs 8 lakh per annum which is why DMK is against it. In that case, it should be fighting to reduce that limit instead of denying it to the whole lot of them. It only further exposes the fake ideology of DMK claiming to ensure social justice and equality.