PMK youth wing leader and Rajya Sabha MP Anbumani Ramadoss on Friday said that he was disappointed by the Central government’s revised guidelines to consider “family income” to determine the creamy layer threshold for 27% reservations for OBC.
In a statement, Mr. Anbumani said that the Centre’s decision to scrap the earlier decision to include monthly salary and instead take into account taxable income to decide family income was “disappointing”.
“In the notification released by the Central government in 1993, it is mentioned clearly that agricultural income and salary will not be taken into account to decide the income, which will determine creamy layer. Only income from other sources will be taken into account. However, last February, the Centre said that monthly salary and agricultural income would be taken into account to decide the Creamy layer. PMK strongly opposed this decision,” he said.
No benefit
Mr. Anbumani said that the decision to not include salary but take into account only the taxable income and increase the creamy layer limit from ₹8 lakh to ₹12 lakh would not benefit the OBCs in any way.
“According to the income tax rules announced this financial year, we can only get ₹2.5 lakh tax exemption. There are no other exemptions and deductions possible. Therefore, there is not much difference between gross income and taxable income. If an OBC family gets income from other sources, it will be impossible to avail reservation for themselves. The new plan will be gross injustice,” Mr. Anbumani said.
He asked why the Central government was trying to meddle with the creamy layer concept and OBC reservation when there were so many other issues in the country that needed to be resolved.
“The origin of the problem is the decision to include monthly salary to decide family income. The inclusion of salary for those in public and private sector is against the 1993 notification,” he said.
Mr. Anbumani said that OBCs have not been able to make use of 27% reservations fully. “It has not been implemented fully. Many have only now begun to be employed in Central government jobs and taking up higher education. To lay so many obstacles before the tree of social justice can grow and the Central government’s decisions aiding it is sad,” he said.
Mr. Anbumani said that 27% reservations for OBCs should fully go to them and creamy layer should be abolished. “If that is not possible immediately, the limit should be increased from ₹8 lakh to ₹15 lakh,” he demanded.
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