Reservation & Tamil Nadu

While the rest of India is caught up in the reservation row, Tamil Nadu (TN) has been rather quiet. It is easy to guess why? With majority of the TN population coming under the quota purview and majority of the opportunities being reserved, it is no wonder that TN has been rather untouched by all this furor.

Intresting article in rediff traces the genesis of reservations in TN

"At least 80 per cent of the population is included in the reservation net. If you look at the data of the last five years, you will see that it is only the creamy layer of the Other Backward Classes that gets all the benefits," says Professor Radhakrishnan.

"If you look at the employment data, the MBCs, the SCs and the STs have not benefited. The real needy will benefit only when we remove the creamy layer. For the last 56 years, reservation has not reached the needy, and there is data to show that," he insists.

At least 35 per cent of India's population the age group between 20 and 25 aspires for higher education, but the present enrolment in higher education -- beyond the higher secondary level -- is only 9 per cent to11 per cent, as against 45 per cent to 85 per cent in developed countries.

Karuthu, a forum floated by Karthi Chidambaram & Kanimozhi to promote tolerence and freedom of expression is holding its second public meeting tomorrow. Naturally, the focus of the discussion is Reservations. The invite for the meeting and the speaker list clearly shows which way they meeting will go.

I wonder if the meeting will really allow opposing views to be expressed in a free and frank manner as the invite promises.