Christian, Muslim Dalits should get reservation benefits, says Tamil Nadu CM

Dalits who have embraced Cristianity or Islam received a major boost in their struggle for recognition as 'Scheduled Castes' when Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi said that these minority communities have the right to be covered under the government quota system in educational institutions.

In a letter to the Union Human Resources Minister, Arjun Singh, Karunanidhi urged that Christians and Muslims be granted reservation as "they have been demanding reservation for a very long time."

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said he welcomed the Union Minister's statement that Muslims were entitled to reservation under the Constitution.

Karunanidhi said the similar reservation facility should be extended to Christians as well as Muslims and Christians are the two largest minority communities in India.

"I wholeheartedly welcome this concept. I have already discussed with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the issue of reservation for minorities especially Christians and Muslims," the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said.

Karunanidhi's statement comes in the wake of a recent announcement that Arjun Singh made that Muslims can get reservation in the elite educational institutions under the Constitutional norms of backwardness.

"Under the Constitutional norms, Muslims can get reservation," the Minister had said.

Now that the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has supported the reservation for Christians and Muslims, the central government is most likely take up this issue in the next coalition meeting of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA).