Grant SC status to dalit Christians: Jayalalithaa

She stated that keeping the benefits out of reach of SC Christians is an "ongoing injustice."

(photo courtesy: thehindu.com)

Chennai:  Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa has said that the Centre should treat scheduled caste Christians on par with Hindus, Sikhs or Buddhists and include them in the Scheduled Caste list.

"The social tensions over the status of unbalanced growth between Hindu scheduled castes and Christian converts have aggravated over time and a sense of alienation among the minority communities has further deepened. I wish to emphasize that the matter cannot brook any further delay," she said in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

She demanded that para 3 of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 must be deleted to grant equal rights to scheduled caste Christians.

Para 3 excludes Christians and Muslims from government benefits meant for the social betterment of dalits on the ground that their religions reject casteism.

Prompt action should now be taken by the government to initiate the necessary statutory steps to include all Scheduled Castes irrespective of religion within the ambit of the status of SCs listed in the Order, and bring in necessary legislation in the current session of Parliament, she noted.

Continuing to keep the benefits of reservation in public services "out of reach" of scheduled caste Christians because of the "restrictive definition" of scheduled caste found in the Order, is an "ongoing injustice" and must be ended "forthwith", she urged.

Holding that the Order was not "carved on stone", Jayalalithaa said it must be amended in tune with the socio-economic realities of modern day India.

Source: times of India