New Delhi, April 18 (IANS) The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), a prominent member of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, has fallen in line with the move to exclude the creamy layer in order to speedily implement reservation for the backwards castes in educational institutions. PMK chief S. Ramadoss met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi here Friday and discussed the whole issue of reservation.

Later sources close to him said that Singh managed to convince him that the government better stick to the letter and spirit of the Supreme Court order on reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in educational institutions, if the reservations were to be implemented this academic session.

Ramadoss told IANS a little later: “I met the prime minister and expressed gratitude for 27 percent reservation for OBCs in educational institutions and hoped that the issue of creamy layer would be discussed in future.”

“The prime minister gave us the impression that the government will take suitable action so that the creamy layer will not come in the way of 27 percent reservations”, he said.

Even as the PMK appeared reconciled to excluding the creamy layer at this stage, it put on record its objection to its exclusion.

The PMK chief told Manmohan Singh: “Our view is that raising the creamy layer issue is against the Constitution because it has only talked of social and educational backwardness and not of economic backwardness.”

“But laws here are made in two places, Parliament and the courts. We cited to the prime minister that the representation of the backwards in government jobs was around 12.8 percent before Mandal. But since the implementation of the Mandal Commission report, it has come down to 5.6 percent”, he said.

Singh is reported to have agreed with Ramadoss that “if the creamy layer is excluded then there no question of social justice” but impressed upon the PMK leader that “the priority of the government is to implement reservation immediately”.

According to Ramadoss, Sonia Gandhi was equally keen on implementing reservation as soon as possible.

Ramadoss also complimented the duo separately on successfully implementing the bulk of promises made in the National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP) of the UPA.

“I told him that of the 150 Action Plans mentioned in the NCMP, 123 have already been implemented and another 27 will be implemented within this year. This is the first government which implemented all its promises within the five year term,” said the PMK chief.

• Sonia Gandhi
• Manmohan Singh