10% quota issue: Protesters planning to show black flags to PM Modi in Madurai

MADURAI: Various organisations opposing 10% reservation for economically weaker sections in general category have joined hands to show black flags to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit here on January 27.
“Nearly 160 organisations will take part in the democratic protest to show their opposition to the 10% reservation. The protest will be coordinated by Tamil Puligal,” founder of May 17 Movement Thirumurugan Gandhi said on Tuesday.He added that they had sought permission from police to hold the protest.
On the reason for the protest, he said that NOTA had bagged nearly 5.5 lakh votes in Madhya Pradesh, affecting the prospects of the BJP in 22 assembly segments which led to the party losing its rule in the state. “Considering that these NOTA votes were polled by people from the upper caste, the BJP government at Centre is desperate to win their votes by offering them 10% reservation,” Gandhi said.
He said it would only be a black flag protest. There would not be any other forms of protest like releasing black balloons, as it happened when Modi visited Chennai in April to take part in a defence expo. In Chennai, protesters released black balloons with the ‘Go Back Modi’ written on them. They were protesting the Centre’s inaction in the Cauvery water issue.
Madurai city and district police said that security would be tightened and adequate measures would be taken to prevent the black flag protest.
Modi will visit Madurai on Sunday to lay the foundation stone of AIIMS. He will also speak at a BJP public meeting here.
Citing security reasons, the venue for the foundation stone laying of AIIMS has been changed. It will be conducted on the Mandela Nagar Ground. City police commissioner S Davidson Devasirvatham and senior police officers inspected the venue on Tuesday.