Privatisation of PSUs will deny job opportunities to oppressed class: TNUEF

Only one generation of the oppressed class has enjoyed fruits of reservation, says front leader

Even as the members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are still fighting to get admission in the higher educational institutions run by the Centre, attempt is being made to privatise public sector units denying reservation in employment to the oppressed class, said State deputy general secretary of Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front (TNUEF) K. Swaminathan.

Addressing the 4th Madurai district conference of the front here on Sunday, Mr. Swaminathan said that while Gautham Adani had emerged as world's third richest man, not even one Dalit had become dollar billionaire, he said.

On the other hand, out of the 1.64 lakh persons who had committed suicide in the country in 2021 as per National Crime Records Bureau data, 42,000 were daily wage earners and 20,000 were entrepreneurs. Stating that the economic policies of the country had direct impact on social justice and reservation policy, he said that privatisation of PSUs would deny reservation for the oppressed classes.

"Only one generation of the oppressed class has enjoyed the fruits of reservation, but the Centre is trying to put an end to it," he charged.

People fighting against privatisation and those struggling for reservation would have to join together, Mr. Swaminathan added.

Even 16 years after the Centre brought in legislation providing reservation in admission in higher educational institutions, data showed that Dalits were not given admission proportionately. Similarly, reservation for Dalits in recruitment of teaching facility was not implemented properly.

He said caste discrimination has attained a global reach with Dalits being discriminated in the U.S. and the U.K. by the casteist Indians living there.