Chennai:Supporting the long pending demand of Dalit Christians for inclusion in the Scheduled Caste List, the Tamil Nadu assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution pressing the Union Government to initiate appropriate statutory measures to make the SC list religion-neutral and extend the benefits accorded to their Hindu Sikh and Buddhist counterparts.
Moving the resolution, Chief Minister MK Stalin said “Social oppression and discrimination does not vanish into thin air on converting to another religion and Dalit converts to Christianity who continues to suffer atrocities like untouchability need to be included in the SC list to enable them to avail the rights and benefits denied to them. We have to approach the issue with great concern since extending them the benefits is the right one. The privileges enjoyed by their counterparts in the same caste should not be denied to them is our principled stand.”
“People have the right to follow the religion of their choice. But, unlike faith, caste cannot be changed. It is a social evil that vertically divides society into higher and lower status. Caste is the tool used for enforcing social oppression and discrimination. And, social justice is using the same caste as the criteria for reservation to uplift the downtrodden,” he said to the thumping of the desk by the members.
By passing the resolution, Tamil Nadu joins states like UP, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry in demanding SC status for Dalit Christians. In Tamil Nadu, Dalit Christians are clubbed under OBC quota. While the 1950 Presidential Order excluded all others except Hindu Dalits from the SC List, the Sikh Dalits were included in 1956 and Neo Buddhists in 1990, Stalin recalled and said this is the expectation of Christian Dalits. Several representations have been made in this respect and the government had consulted legal experts prior to tabling the resolution, he added.
The Chief Minister said the statement of the NCSC Chairman made last year that Dalits on conversion also voluntarily move out of their caste had invited severe criticism from several quarters. Referring to the Supreme Court being seized of the matter, Stalin said the KG Balakrishnan Commission, set up by the Union Government to study the issue, should ascertain the views of all the state governments before submitting its report. While the BJP staged a walk out in protest, the resolution was passed by the House.
Speaking to the media, BJP legislator and party all India Mahila Morcha president, Vanathi Srinivasan said extending SC benefits to Dalit Christians is unacceptable. “The DMK is doing this with an eye on the LS poll 2024. It will deprive the Hindu Dalits of their right,” she claimed. Further, she questioned the necessity to bring the resolution when the Supreme Court is seized of the matter.
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