 "LS elections: INDIA bloc govt will uplift OBCs, SCs, STs, says MK Stalin")
DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday expressed confidence of the INDIA bloc winning the Lok Sabha polls and said the new dispensation will fulfill the pledge to uplift Other Backward Classes, the Scheduled Castes and Tribes.
Tamil Nadu has played a pivotal role in championing social justice, Stalin said in his address at the social justice conference (Samajik Nyay Sammelan) held by Samruddha Bharat Foundation in the national capital on Wednesday.
The Chief Minister's address was read out at the conference by DMK Rajya Sabha MP, P Wilson.
The DMK chief recalled the era of the Justice Party government, dating back to 1921 and said it stands as a beacon of social justice with the introduction of reservations for the underprivileged through the communal G.O (Government Order).
Post-independence, "amidst threats to the reservation system," the resolute protests by the Dravidian movement, famously known as "the happenings in Madras," catalysed the first amendment of the Constitution, he said.
"This amendment solidified affirmative action, ensuring the continued upliftment of marginalised communities."
Currently, Tamil Nadu proudly boasts a 69 per cent reservation for OBCs, SC/STs, surpassing the 'arbitrary' 50 per cent limit, he said.
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On the Congress party's LS election manifesto and assurances on welfare and development of the marginalised, Stalin said: "It heartens me to observe that many of the DMK's principles echo within the Congress election manifesto for the 2024 Parliamentary elections. I earnestly hope that our forthcoming government will earnestly fulfill its pledges to uplift OBCs and SC/STs."
The DMK chief underscored Tamil Nadu's 'groundbreaking 7.5 percent reservation' in professional courses for students from government schools, alongside full financial support for those admitted under this quota.
Stalin also pointed to the Tamil Nadu legislative Assembly recently passing a resolution urging the Union government to extend reservations to Scheduled Caste members who have converted to Christianity.