Bring in job quota in private sector, PMK tells Centre

CHENNAI: The Central government should come forward to implement reservation for employment in the private sector and a legislation should be enacted to facilitate it, the PMK said here today.

In view of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's remark that reservation will not guarantee employment in the public sector as jobs were shrinking, PMK chief S Ramadoss said "the central government should come forward to implement reservation in private companies."

Gadkari, responding to reporters' questions on the ongoing agitation by Marathas for reservation had said on August 4 at Aurangabad: "Let's us assume the reservation is given. But there are no jobs. Because in banks, the jobs have shrunk because of IT. The government recruitment is frozen. Where are the jobs?"


The senior BJP leader had also said, "the problem with the quota is that backwardness is becoming a political interest. Everyone says I am backward. In Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, Brahmins are strong. They dominate politics. (And) They say they are backward."

The PMK chief, in a statement here said "a legislation should soon be enacted to implement it (job quota in private sector)."

The party has been demanding quota in private sector for the past 25 years and due to its persuasion, consultations were held by the Centre over it during the UPA regime, he said.

PMK was a partner in UPA-I and its leader Anbumani Ramadoss was the Health Minister.

"The Centre, which admitted (during UPA regime) that there was a need for quota in private sector, however, said there was no scope to enact a law for it," he said.

The centre had eased itself out of the matter saying the private sector would on its own provide quota and there was no further discussion about it, the PMK leader said adding his party would pursue steps for quota in the private sector.