<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->CHENNAI: In an ironical development, a community that was provided reservation in educational institutions and jobs said it does not want the provision. Christians in Tamil Nadu said the 3.5% exclusive reservation made for them in education and employment should be abrogated, contending that they had realised that quota hurt their interests instead of benefiting them.
Tourism minister Suresh Rajan, who belongs to Kanyakumari district which has a huge Christian population, took a delegation of Christian leaders to meet chief minister M Karunanidhi and formally requested him to cancel the quota introduced last year for the community.
Bishop of Kottar Rev Peter Remigius, state minorities commission chairman Fr Vincent Chinnadurai, all MLAs and one MP from Kanyakumari district, were part of the delegation. "<span style='color:red'>This reservation is not beneficial to the Christian community, as we were doing better when we were competing with other backward classes for 30% OBC reservation. As an educated community, we were doing well, but the quota now restricts our job opportunities and admissions</span>," Fr Chinnadurai told TOI.  <!--emo&
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Citing an example, he said in the ongoing MBBS admission process, out of 2,699 seats, Christians could only get 94 seats (3.5%), whereas they could have got more than 300 seats if the entire 30% OBC quota was open to them.
He said the CM responded by saying he had brought in exclusive reservation for minorities only because he wanted to help them. If the measure didnât benefit the Christians, he was ready to review it. However, the CM made it clear that the matter would have to be referred to the state backward classes commission, headed by justice (retd) M S Janarthanam, <b>which had recommended such quotas in the first place</b>.
When the state government promulgated an ordinance for providing an exclusive quota for Christians and Muslims in education and employment last year, it was widely welcomed by both communities.
To avoid giving an impression that it was based on religion, the government had made it applicable to only those Christian and Muslim sects already included in the OBC list.
The two community quotas of 3.5% each were introduced as compartments within the 30% OBC quota. The state has a total of 69% reservation for various categories. G John Joseph and A Rajan, both MLAs from Kanyakumari, said the communityâs interests would be affected if the exclusive quota was implemented every year.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chennai...how/3183050.cms<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Tourism minister Suresh Rajan, who belongs to Kanyakumari district which has a huge Christian population, took a delegation of Christian leaders to meet chief minister M Karunanidhi and formally requested him to cancel the quota introduced last year for the community.
Bishop of Kottar Rev Peter Remigius, state minorities commission chairman Fr Vincent Chinnadurai, all MLAs and one MP from Kanyakumari district, were part of the delegation. "<span style='color:red'>This reservation is not beneficial to the Christian community, as we were doing better when we were competing with other backward classes for 30% OBC reservation. As an educated community, we were doing well, but the quota now restricts our job opportunities and admissions</span>," Fr Chinnadurai told TOI.  <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->Â <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->Â <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> Citing an example, he said in the ongoing MBBS admission process, out of 2,699 seats, Christians could only get 94 seats (3.5%), whereas they could have got more than 300 seats if the entire 30% OBC quota was open to them.
He said the CM responded by saying he had brought in exclusive reservation for minorities only because he wanted to help them. If the measure didnât benefit the Christians, he was ready to review it. However, the CM made it clear that the matter would have to be referred to the state backward classes commission, headed by justice (retd) M S Janarthanam, <b>which had recommended such quotas in the first place</b>.
When the state government promulgated an ordinance for providing an exclusive quota for Christians and Muslims in education and employment last year, it was widely welcomed by both communities.
To avoid giving an impression that it was based on religion, the government had made it applicable to only those Christian and Muslim sects already included in the OBC list.
The two community quotas of 3.5% each were introduced as compartments within the 30% OBC quota. The state has a total of 69% reservation for various categories. G John Joseph and A Rajan, both MLAs from Kanyakumari, said the communityâs interests would be affected if the exclusive quota was implemented every year.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chennai...how/3183050.cms<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->