Politicos reiterate stance on Dalit Christians at press meet

With a massive rally for Dalit Christians soon to be underway, Church groups on Thursday, Oct. 5, held a press conference at Constitution Club, New Delhi, expressing the urgency of extending the benefit of reservation by amending the Constitutional Schedule Caste Order 1950.

In the presence of Archbishop of Delhi Vincent Concessao, and several top politicians, a press statement was issued in which they urged the "tabling of National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities report in the Parliament" and "appropriate answer to the query of SC to the Writ Petitions demanding deletion of para 3 of the 1950 Order."

Assumably, the politicians at the press meet made all tall claims reassuring that they would support the cause and have the demands discussed by all means.

"I have always stood for the cause of Dalit Christians and Muslims. I again reiterate that this discrimination must be condemned and justice be given by extending the SC status," said Ram Vilas Paswan, president of the Lok Janshakti Party and former Union Minister.

He stressed that reservation benefits must not be bestowed with religion in mind, but rather it should be given to all those communities that are socially and educationally backward.

"Christians are not foreigners and they are people of India. I request the national government to act judiciously in this case," he urged.

Concurrently agreeing with him on this was Congress MP, PJ Kurien. He promised that he would ensure the demands are taken to the higher authorities and said he would voice for the cause at any political platform.

During the press conference, Christian and Muslim leaders urged media not to "make this a religious issue". They underlined that the fight was for 'Dalits' and not just Christian or Muslim Dalits. Misconstruing of the definition would only lead to a confrontation, they cautioned.

The press conference was jointly organised by the National Council of Dalit Christians, Catholic Bishops' Conference of India and National Council of Churches in India.

The representatives of the respective bodies were not to forget the bygone days when almost all political parties except the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stood for the reservation of Christian and Muslim Dalits.

The CPI, CPI (M), BSP, SP, LJP, RJD, JD (U), JD (S), DMK, AIADMK, Telugu Desam Party, MDMK, PMK, Trinamool Congress, NCP and Shiromani Akalidal are among few parties that have supported the cause. Apparently, several Prime Ministers including the present have assured that justice would be done.

However, Dalit activists are still kept on tenterhooks wondering when after a fifty-nine year wait, a reversal of injustice is to be done. Almost all the state governments and union territories had pressed for granting of the SC status for the social empowerment of Dalit Christians and Muslims.

The last politico to strongly back the demands of Dalit Christians and Muslims was Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh YS Rajasekhara Reddy who recently was killed in a helicopter crash. A resolution introduced in the Assembly by Reddy urged the central govt for equal status.

The UPA government in fact already has substantial reasons to approve the SC status for Dalit Christians – the report by Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission.

The Mishra Commission set by the government to study the socio-economic and educational status of Dalit Christians recommended extending the reservation to all Dalits irrespective of religion.

The Commission also argued that by embracing Christianity, the economic status of a Dalit does not improve.

On Nov. 18 a massive rally is to be organised at the capital by Christian groups. The rally will culminate with a daylong dharna in Parliament Street.