VZCZCXRO1516
RR RUEHBI RUEHCI
DE RUEHCG #0250 0921019
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 021019Z APR 07
FM AMCONSUL CHENNAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0805
INFO RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 2407
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 0745
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 5010
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 1315

UNCLAS CHENNAI 000250 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM SOCI CASC IN
SUBJECT: QUOTA ISSUE: TAMIL NADU GOVERNMENT-SPONSORED STRIKE PASSES 
PEACEFULLY 
 
 
¶1. (SBU)  A government-sponsored "bandh" (close-down strike), called 
jointly by the ruling DMK party and its allies (including the 
Congress Party), paralyzed the entire state of Tamil Nadu from dawn 
to dusk on March 31.  The government called the strike to protest 
the Supreme Court's March 29 decision to stay the law providing a 
27% quota to economically backward castes, known as Other Backward 
Classes (OBCs), for spaces in India's prestigious educational 
institutions. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Compliance with the ruling party's call to close down all 
services in the state was virtually complete.  There were no 
instances of serious violence.  Determined to make the strike a 
grand success, the government declared a holiday for all schools and 
government offices.  Public transport, including trains, did not 
operate.  A small number of private vehicles were seen on the road. 
Flights operated, but many passengers postponed their journeys to 
avoid possible road to and from airports. 
 
¶3. (SBU) In view of the difficulties in transporting staff, private 
companies, including Ford's Tamil Nadu plant, hastily declared a 
holiday.  American Chamber of Commerce sources told Post that 24/7 
call center and business process outsourcing services, however, 
avoided disruption by having their employees work double shifts. 
Hospital services, water, and electricity were not affected. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The DMK requested the state's primary opposition party, the 
AIADMK, to support the strike and show solidarity to the cause of 
the backward castes.  But the AIADMK, keeping with its tendency to 
oppose all which the ruling party supports, chose not to 
participate. 
 
¶5. (U) Post's American Citizens Services Unit cleared with Embassy 
New Delhi and CA/OCS and then issued a warden message to inform the 
American community about the strike.  To our knowledge there were no 
strike-related incidents involving American citizens. 
 
¶6. (SBU) COMMENT: Tamil Nadu is out in front of much of India on the 
issue of reservations for backwards castes, with its 69% quota the 
highest in the land.  Given the state's substantial OBC population, 
the government felt that it had to be seen as taking some sort of 
action in response to the Supreme Court's decision.  The state-wide 
shutdown allowed the ruling DMK to position itself on the 
politically advantageous side of the issue.  END COMMENT. 
 
HOPPER