DMK chief Karunanidhi welcomes Sonia Gandhi's statement on reservation

Chennai: Welcoming Congress President Sonia Gandhi's assertion that caste-based quota will continue, DMK today reiterated its demand for the removal of creamy layer concept from reservation.

"The announcement made by Mrs Gandhi on reservation is welcome," DMK chief M Karunanidhi said in response to a question in party mouthpiece 'Murasoli'.

DMK has been opposing the creamy layer concept based on economic criteria in civil services Examinations conducted by UPSC, he said.

He said if the Central government was firm on Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla's statement in Parliament that it was not considering any proposal to provide reservation based on economic criteria, "then I wish to reiterate our long-pending demand that Central government must come forward to remove" the creamy layer concept, he said.

Rejecting Congress leader Janardan Dwivedi's suggestion to end quota based on caste lines, Gandhi had yesterday said that there should be "no doubt or ambiguity" over her party's stand of continuing the system of reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs.

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"The empowerment of SCs, STs and OBCs has been an article of faith with the Congress. There should be no doubt or ambiguity on the stand of the Congress on the system of reservation for SC/ST and OBCs," she had said.

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