“Is it not incomprehensible that Dalit Christians/Muslims want to be delisted from the OBC list and included under the presidential order of 1950? Besides, no one has a convincing answer as to what should be the cut-off date for SC converted to Christianity and Islam. The hidden agenda of conversion is behind such demand, which is morally and legally untenable.” – Rakesh Sinha
A recent addition to India’s secular discourse has been the demand to give Scheduled Caste status to Scheduled Caste converts to Christianity and Islam, and concomitantly scrap the Para 3 of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order 1950 under Article 341. Para 3 delineates the contours of SC as “nobody who is not a Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist can be Scheduled Caste”.
Such proclamation is not based on fiction or perception, but on historical experiences and empirical facts.
The first effort of identifying untouchables was made by J. S. Hatton in the census report of 1931. The term Scheduled Caste first appeared in the Government of India Act 1935. Moreover, the Government of India Scheduled Caste Order issued on April 30, 1936 specified that “no Indian Christian shall be deemed to be a member of Scheduled Caste”. The clarification of the predominantly Christian colonial administration assumes significance due to the presence of sizable number of SC converts to Christianity. The colonial administration considered apt not to equate low status of the converts with the severity of caste oppression on SC. Accusation of majoritarianism against the Indian state by the elite holds no ground since the existing order was a continuation of the 1936 order.
Those who favour SC status to Christians and Muslims argue that social disabilities and handicaps of the converts still continue. The argument, however, is self-defeated as, unlike Hindu religion, both Christianity and Islam are free from rigid caste system. It is also true, however, that both Muslims and Christians have certain degree of hierarchies, but they are not in reference to birth of its follower but the result of feudal traits. Both the religions claim being free from caste stratifications, and gives equal status to all. Therefore, frivolous discrimination requires internal reforms rather than governmental interventions. Moreover, the Protection of Civil Rights Act 1955—a religion neutral Act—protects all those whose dignity is abused or under threat. Hardly any case has been registered by SC converts to Christianity or Islam alleging abuse of religious and social rights by their co-religionists.
They also put forward common vocations/occupations of equating converts with SC. Here, it should be noted that the depressed class was compelled to do lowly works, but the practice of untouchability has given birth to other social ills. Commonalities of occupations do not mean all performers are on the same boat. Even a Brahmin can be a toilet cleaner, but that does not make him untouchable or a victim of social segregation. In the Constituent Assembly debate, Z. H. Lari finding no support for his demand for reservation for Muslims wanted to abolish reservation for SC. He, along with a few more members, pompously said they would love to be a Scheduled Caste. Nagappa, an SC elected from Madras (General) constituency, rebutted their proposition and said it was not by adopting a particular vocation that one could become SC and further added that “for becoming an SC, you had to take birth as an SC”.
The inclusion of Sikhs and Buddhists under the SC realm has also been questioned without understanding historical reasons which necessitated this step.
Both Sikhism and Buddhism have been facing untouchability. While the scope of Article 341 privileges SC, Article 16(4) provides socially and economically backward Muslims OBC reservations. Is it not incomprehensible that Dalit Christians/Muslims want to be delisted from the OBC list and included under the presidential order of 1950? Besides, no one has a convincing answer as to what should be the cut-off date for SC converted to Christianity and Islam. The hidden agenda of conversion is behind such demand, which is morally and legally untenable. – The New Indian Express, 13 July 2014
» Prof Rakesh Sinha is an eminent political scientist and the honorary director of the India Policy Foundation (IPF). Contact him at rakeshsinha46@gmail.com
Filed under: india | Tagged: caste-based reservations, dalit christians, hindu caste system, hindu dalits, scheduled caste status |
BHARATA BHARATI 
Muslims and Christians shouldn’t ask for reservation, says Subramanian Swamy – DNA – New Delhi – 16 June 2014
Reacting to Congress MP Hussain Dalwai’s demand for reservation for Muslims in Maharashtra, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy said Muslims and Christians shouldn’t ask for reservation, as they have ruled our country in the past.
“Muslim rulers have ruled India for hundreds of years and have also destroyed it, and I find it surprising that now Muslims demand reservation claiming that they have been oppressed. When the Indian Constitution was being made, it was decided that the communities which had been oppressed and tortured will be given reservation, which is why SC/ST have reservation in our country,” said Swamy.
He further said “Later, under VP Singh’s governance, whoever was poor or backward was given a reservation. Now, Yadavs, Jats and others have ruled the country, but I feel they shouldn’t be given reservation too. We have poor Brahmins in our country as well, and 50 percent of them are below poverty line, but they will never ask for reservations.”
Swamy added, “I feel that only those who have been oppressed by the society and have been forced to live a backward life should given reservations. If Muslims want to study, then should be given scholarships, good schools, But Muslims and Christians can’t have reservation as they have ruled our country.”
Dalwai had earlier made a strong pitch for reservation for Muslims in Mumbai at the time when the Maharashtra government is set to announce its decision on the Rane Committee’s recommendation for 20 per cent quota for Marathas.
LikeLike
Sir if the above stats are authentic and concrete, then is very sad and betrayal to Hindu community as a whole. What Central and State Govts. are doing is nothing but like a statue of Justice in every Indian court. Now, it is high time to the other Hindus, who are not enjoying these quota benefits, to rise voice against these self destroying attitude. Will we have dare to do this, is the big question mark.
LikeLiked by 1 person
How casteless Muslims and Christians obtain benefits meant only for caste Hindus – Radha Rajan
As of today, August 2010, Christians and Muslims remain excluded from the benefits extended to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Indians, as their respective ideologies do not recognise caste. However, to get around this constitutional obstacle, the majority or near majority of Christians and Muslims have been classified by their religious and community leaders as Backward Class (OB) or Other Backward Class (OBC) and are enjoying the benefits extended by the State and Central Government to these classes to the determent of the Hindus in these classes. See the following table compiled from the Census of India 1961 and the Sachar Committee Report 2006, Table 10.3:
Muslims
Christians
Now let us look at some hard facts about the politics and religion behind reservations
This cornering is made possible only because of the constitutional right provided to minorities to start and run educational institutions. There is a move now afoot to equate degrees obtained from Muslim madarasas to the CBSE board so that the Muslims in the OBC spectrum may be enabled to corner another major chunk of the benefits of reservation just as the Christians are doing now.
Tamil Nadu total 69% reservation
Now let us see how this works in real terms by taking admission to medical colleges as an example. There are altogether 3000 medical seats of which 30% or 900 seats are allotted to the BC, 600 seats or 20% of the total are allotted to the MBC.
Christians constitute 6.5% of the total Tamil Nadu population while Muslims constitute 5.5%. Of the total 6.5% of Christians, 6.1% or around 80% of the total Christian population have been classified as BC. This is 1/9 of the total population. BC Christians were cornering 300 seats out of the 900 medical seats every year; that is 1/9 of the population was claiming 1/3 of the share of seats. And that is why Christian politicians and the Christian clergy met the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister to ask him to rescind the order granting 3.5% reservation for Christians. The Tamil Nadu government promptly rescinded the order and allowed the Christians to come back into the 30% BC quota segment which was getting them phenomenal returns. Christians must be removed from the 30% BC quota unless we want a situation someday in the near future when they may rampage across the entire BC spectrum. Giving this super-forward religion even 3.5% quota is bad enough but allowing them to occupy the elephant’s space in the BC quota segment is willful betrayal of the cause of Hindu backward classes.
The same would be true of all professional colleges and in admissions to all under-graduate and post-graduate degrees too. We must not be beguiled into thinking that the remaining seats go to Hindu BCs and MBCs. If we consider the possibility that preference in reservation is given to anti-Hindu, irreligious Dravidian Tamils with marked political affiliations, then we begin to understand what is happening in the Madras High Court and in all other courts of Tamil Nadu. Reservation benefits are being hogged by the minorities and anti-Hindu Dravidian Tamils. Tamil Hindu SCs, BCs and MBCs are being increasingly marginalised and alienated from the mainstream.
The Tamil Nadu government had announced 3.5% exclusive reservation for Christians and Muslims. This 7% minority reservation quota was supposed to have been hived off the 30% BC reservation quota. In the beginning, the church welcomed the move but soon beat the retreat when it realised that under the 3.5% exclusive quota, Christian BCs were eligible only for 105 seats as against the 300 seats it was snatching from the mouths of Hindu BCs.
Now let us look at the last government deception which is proving fatal to Hindu Backward class and castes. According to the 2001 Census report which for the first time was collecting such data on the basis of religion, if we consider urbanization and literacy as indicators or indices of forwardness, then in Tamil Nadu:
1. What can be inferred from this analysis is that Christians and Muslims who do not ideologically recognise caste divisions, have “stolen” most of the benefits meant for Hindu Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and Hindu Backward Classes and Other Backward Classes. If it comes about that “Dalit Christians” and “Dalit Muslims” are recognised by the Government as caste entities, then Christians and Muslims will hog all of the benefits with nothing left for Dalit Hindus. Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Hindus will then have to convert to Christianity (or Islam) in order to obtain these benefits. The Indian bishops are aware of this and it is a part of their game plan to decimate the Hindu society in this way.
LikeLiked by 1 person