Tamil Nadu political party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Friday filed a writ petition in Madras High Court challenging recent constitutional amendment for granting 10% reservation to economically weaker sections of society, reports news agency ANI.

The petition was filed by DMK’s organising secretary RS Bharathi.

DMK had earlier this month voted against the bill in Parliament with party leader Kanimozhi demanding that the bill be sent to a select committee for further scrutiny.

DMK chief MK Stalin had declared well before the debate started that his party opposes the bill because the quota should be based on social backwardness and not economic status.

The bill on quota for the poor, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi said would bring social harmony, was tabled and passed on the penultimate days of the recently-concluded winter session.

The Constitution (124th amendment) bill, envisaging a 10% quota in jobs and education for the economically weaker section, was largely supported by parties with some smaller parties saying it was against the Constitution.

Another Tamil Nadu party AIADMK, largely supportive of the BJP, has raised question about the quota. Party leader M Thambidurai said, “You (the government) have so many programmes for economic development of the poor such as skill development, Mudra scheme (of loans for small businesses) or the scholarships. Now, this government wants to give reservation to economically weaker section [that] means all these programmes are not properly implemented.”

First Published: Jan 18, 2019 11:29 IST