Jayalalithaa ridicules DMK's poll promise of 27 per cent reservation

Sankarankoil: Launching a sharp attackon archrival DMK, AIADMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday ridiculed its electoral promise of fighting for implementation of 27 per cent reservation, alleging party president M Karunanidhi was more inclined towards getting ministerial berths for family members and party men.

In her election campaign for her party's Tenkasi (SC) candidate Vasanthi Murugesan, Jayalalithaa said DMK's election manifesto had said the Mandal Commission recommendation of 27 per cent reservation for BCs was not being implemented in toto and therefore it would strive for the same.

"Who was in power at the Centre for 17 years? Wasn't it DMK. Why didn't it then ask why reservation was not implemented fully? Karunanidhi should explain if it was at least implemented in ministries held by DMK," she said.

She said Karunanidhi had remained steadfast on getting 'plum' portfolios including IT for family member (Dayanidhi Maran) and partymen even as he had "pleaded" for Congress' support for his daughter Kanimozhi's Rajya Sabha candidature.

"Why didn't he insist on (implementing) 27 per cent reservation? As far as Karunanidhi is concerned, reservation for BCs is not important; allotment of ministerial berths for family members is.....," she alleged.

Karunanidhi has compromised on reservation policy, she charged.

DMK's election manifesto had claimed that despite many years since it was introduced, 27 per cent reservation in central government jobs was not implemented in toto as only 14 per cent was followed. The party would strive for the complete implementation, DMK had promised in the election manifesto for the April 24 Lok Sabha polls.