The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday urged the Centre to ensure that a suitable legal amendment be made to ensure that the State quota of seats in private institutions of higher education for medicine and engineering be not reduced at the time of such institutions getting declared as deemed to be universities. 

In a statement, he said the Union government and the University Grants Commission (UGC) must insist on such a stipulation. Referring to reports of certain private medical colleges having become deemed to be universities and the consequent loss of medical seats for the State, Mr Palaniswami wanted the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam-led government to take immediate steps to improve the infrastructure and quality of the government medical colleges and get additional seats, a course of action of which would offset the loss of seats for the State.

Meanwhile, at the party headquarters, Mr Palaniswami reviewed the performance of the party in Tiruchi district which was attended, among others, by Lalgudi legislator, Leema Rose Martin, one of the 25 rebels who supported the TVK government in the Assembly at the time of trust motion in May.