Tamil Nadu Assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution urging the Union government to make necessary amendments to the Constitution of India to extend the “statutory protection, rights and concessions including reservation” to the Scheduled Caste people who have converted to Christianity.
“This august house urges the Government of India to make necessary amendments to the Constitution, to extend statutory protection, rights and concessions, including reservation as provided to the people belonging to the Scheduled Castes who have converted to Christianity, so as to enable them to avail the benefits of social justice in all aspects,” the resolution said.
Moving the resolution in the house, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said, “Adi Dravidar people continue to suffer caste atrocities like untouchability even after converting to other religions. Hence, we must give it a kind consideration.”
Stating that it would be unfair to deny the Dalit Christians the rights enjoyed by the other members of the same Adi Dravidar community on the ground of religious conversion, Stalin pointed out that the Constitution does not allow people other than Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists to be treated as Scheduled Castes. He said giving reservation would only fetch them education and job opportunities, contributing to their social development.
“People have the right to practice the religion of their liking. But caste is not liable to change. Instead of it signifying the differences among people, caste prescribes one as high and another low. This is a social malady.”
Referring to the inclusion of Sikhs in 1956 and Buddhists in 1990 by way of Constitutional amendment, Stalin said that the Adi Dravidars who converted to Christianity are also expecting a similar amendment. But the Vice Chairman of National SC commission in a statement last year had said, Stalin recalled, that SC certificates of Adi Dravidars after conversion are “invalid and fake”.
Stalin also said that Justice K.G. Balakrishnan-led commission constituted by the Union government must submit its final report on the issue only after going across the country, meeting people and also consulting all state governments.
The resolution was unanimously adopted by the House through voice vote, while the four BJP legislators opposed the resolution and walked out from the assembly. BJP legislator Vanathi Srinivasan raised several questions which were expunged by Speaker Appavu.
The resolution was adopted at a time when the BJP government at the Centre had informed the Supreme Court that it is not willing to implement the recommendations made by the Ranganath Mishra commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities that Dalits who converted to Christianity and Islam should also be provided with reservation.