As the upcoming parliamentary elections draw near, all political parties in Puducherry are vying for an advantage by intensifying their plea for medical seat reservations for government school students, reports The New Indian Express.
According to the report, during a meeting held last month, Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan suggested that the government should provide "appropriate" reservations for these students in medical admissions.
However, the percentage of reservation sought by each party differs. Both the BJP and Congress are pushing for a 10% reservation, while the AIADMK and DMK are requesting 7.5%.
Home Minister A Namassivayam, who is also the leader of the BJP legislature, told TNIE, “We wish for a 10% reservation. However, the decision will be taken at a cabinet meeting after Chief Minister N Rangasamy returns from Delhi.” He also added that, with the admission process beginning shortly, the government will bring an ordinance based on the cabinet decision to give effect to the reservation.
In contrast, the AIADMK staged a demonstration on Tuesday, July 18, demanding a 7.5% reservation on similar lines as the previous AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu. Presently, despite around 40 students from Puducherry qualifying for the NEET exam annually, reservations are on similar lines as the previous AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu.
MP V Vaithilingam has also urged the Chief Minister to implement a 10% reservation.
It's worth noting that the previous Congress-DMK government, led by V Narayanasamy, attempted to provide 10% reservation through an ordinance after a cabinet decision. However, their efforts faced obstacles as the then L-G Kiran Bedi did not approve, leading to the proposal being sent to the Union Home Ministry for consideration. The proposal then went into cold storage and subsequently the government went out of power.
