Recently I met a friend who said he could make an elephant laugh. I told him to demonstrate it. He went near the giant animal and I saw him muttering something into its ears. The elephant broke into an uncontrollable and unending blitz of laughter I asked him what he had told the elephant. He said, 'I told him that the political parties are trying to implement the 33% reservation for women.' Yes, that is the biggest joke!

Even the Women's Conference of the DMK has reiterated its determination to implement the reservation. It has asked the Centre to reserve 33 per cent of Central Government jobs to women. Of the ninety-five MLAs the DMK has in the State Assembly, how many are women? Of the forty MPs the DMK-led alliance has in the Lok Sabha, how many are women? I know these are very inconvenient questions.

Political parties always love to have unsolved issues. Because, once an issue is resolved, it cannot be a subject for a resolution in Conferences. The status of Classical language is an instant case. It can no longer be a subject matter for resolutions in Conferences. It is nice to keep the thirty-three per cent issue alive so that all the political parties can continue to exploit it for years to come.

Long live the thirty three percent.

H Ramakrishnan