Opposing the creamy layer concept, the Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam on Friday said that the Supreme Court judgment, which excludes economically well off Other Backward Classes from enjoying the benefit of 27 per cent reservation in higher education institutions, was not acceptable to it.
However, the party would accept the creamy layer for this academic year alone, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi told reporters after a meeting of the top action committee of the DMK.
"Can we reject a shirt offered without a shawl? We will accept the shirt this year alone, but will demand a shirt along with a shawl from next year," he said.
The meeting, in a resolution, demanded a legislation for excluding the creamy layer concept from reservation for OBCs and said the Supreme Court's verdict on the creamy layer was not acceptable to the party.
It hailed the judgment, upholding the validity of 27 per cent reservation, as historic but said the judgment created a slight irritant when it said that the economically well off among OBCs should be outside the purview of reservation.
The DMK chief's remarks comes in the wake of External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's statement that the Centre would try to implement the apex court's verdict.
The resolution said that the Centre should take steps, legally, to drop the creamy layer concept and introduce a 27 per cent reservation from the coming academic year itself.
Asked whether his party wanted to file a review petition in the Supreme Court, he said the party would take a decision on this after consulting legal experts.
Asked whether the United Progressive Alliance government supported the DMK's stand, he said, "They are trying to go with us".