BJP memo to President oppose SC status to Dalit Christians

The Udupi district unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka has asked President Pratibha Patil to not extend the benefit of reservation to Dalits belonging to Christian and Muslim communities.

In a memorandum submitted to Deputy Commissioner MT Reju, the BJP urged President Patil to reject the report of the Ranganath Mishra Commission that favoured Scheduled Caste status for Dalits in all religions.

The Ranganath Mishra Commission earlier declared that non-inclusion of Dalit Christians and Muslims in the SC ambit was a discrimination based on religion and goes against the Constitution of India.

BJP said extending reservation to Christians and Muslims would affect the non-converted Dalits. The memorandum was submitted by the president of Udupi unit Udaykumar Shetty and president of the zilla panchayat Katapady Poojary, among others.

There are about 20 million Dalit Christians who have been deprived of their rights by para 3 of the 1950 Constitution Order which restricted reservation benefits only to Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists.

The 1950 Order made reservation in education and jobs available to those from low-caste that follow Hinduism. Those who converted to Christianity from Hinduism will not be able to avail the reservation benefits although their condition remains the same even after conversion.

The All India Christian Federation (AICF) has filed a petition in the Supreme Court requesting to issue a writ order or direction striking down the 1950 Order.

Last scheduled hearing of the case was on May 5, the next hearing will be on July 12. AICF has urged Christians to pray for a positive ruling.