TN to have religion-based quotas

New Delhi: The Tamil Nadu government has announced exclusive reservations for Christians and Muslims in government services and educational institutions.

Chief Minister M Karunanidhi told the state Assembly that the government accepted the recommendations of the state Backward Classes Commission, headed by Justice M Janardanam, a retired judge of the Madras High court.

He added that the Commission stated that the report of the Second Class Backward Commission, which dealt with the issue of the number of backward class people in the state, could be the basis for the 'exclusive' reservation for Christains and Muslims.

The government would take legal steps to implement the reservation after the Supreme Court pronounced its verdict on the 69 per cent reservation case that is pending before it.

Complete details on the exclusive reservation would be announced after consultations with 'friendly parties' of the DMK, Karunanidhi said.

Presently, the overall reservation quota stands at 69 per cent, encompassing as much as 87 per cent of the state's population.

Muslims and Christians had been demanding an exclusive reservation in government services and educational institutions for long and the DMK, accepting their demand, in its election manifesto for 2006 Assembly, had promised to provide separate reservation for them, PTI quoted Karunanidhi as saying.

The decision comes close on the heels of the Supreme Court's stay on the 27 per cent reservation for OBC students in the elite educational institutions, which drew sharp reaction from the DMK and other parties.

EXISTING RESERVATION QUOTA IN TN
	Overall reservation is 69 per cent
	30 per cent for Backward Classes
	20 per cent for Most Backward Classes and Denotified Tribes
	18 per cent for Scheduled Castes
	1 per cent for Scheduled Tribes