Bangalore: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, belonging to the “India shiningwala” group and hence enemy of caste-based reservation, will be under renewed pressure to accept the unanimous report of the Ranganath Mishra national commission recommending SC status to Christian and Muslim Dalits, a proposal so much hated by the Brahminical rulers.
But the country’s most important state of UP rejecting all “national” parties and opting for the caste-based party of BSP will be a big boost for all caste-based demands. Manmohan Singh is already under fire from all sides for a steep downward slide of India.
If he wants his party to win, he must go with the oppressed castes who make up the majority. But his heart is with the upper castes because he is an upper caste, Khatri Sikh.
But the Congress chief Sonia Gandhi would naturally like her party to win the next election, and this is possible only if she goes with the votaries of caste. The problem is the opponents of caste are also the country’s most notorious casteists. They would never, ever agree to any fresh demand for caste-based reservations. The ruling upper castes (15%) are also supported by the upper caste judiciary and the media.
Strength to Dalit movement: Extending SC status to Dalit Christians will be a death blow to the BJP brand of Hinduism. Because lakhs of Dalits in South India now hiding their Christian identity fearing loss of SC reservation, will swell the rank of Christians — a religion which the Hindu terrorists hate. A fall in Hindu population will upset the Hindu terrorist party calculations. But more than that, the exodus into Dalit population will further strengthen the Dalit movement.
The Mishra commission secretary, Ms. Asha Das, IAS, has given a dissenting note virtually speaking the language of the Hindu terrorist party of BJP. For the Manmohan Singh Government, her dissenting note will give a breather, but all political parties are supporting the Mishra Commission recommendation. So, Manmohan Singh is in a terrible crisis.
DV criticises failed PM: On one side, he is facing serious attack from inside the party itself. The coalition parties are not at all happy with him.
In DV, we had mounted the most scathing attack on the “failed PM”. So, we will not be surprised if there is a party pressure to replace him after the presidential election so that people’s confidence in the party is restored. Sonia Gandhi, in her party interest, will have to yield to the popular demand.
Meanwhile, Muslims are furious that the PM has not taken any step on the Sachar Committee recommendations despite praising it sky high. The state of UP with a big Muslim population going all-out for BSP shows that the Muslims have expressed no-confidence in the Congress.
Asha Das mischief: The Mishra Commission has said that a clause in Constitution (SCs) Order of 1950, which restricts the SC status to Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist, should be dropped to delink SC status from religion. Asha Das says extending SC status to Christians and Muslims would amount to inserting caste in religions which don’t recognise it. She has questioned the propriety of Parliament or judiciary to change the tenets of religion.
There are strong demands from Muslim and Christian groups for treatment of Dalit converts as SCs to entitle them to benefits of reservation in jobs and education.
A Dalit Christian PIL is before the Supreme Court. With the panel coming out with the recommendations, there will be increased clamour from Dalit Muslims and Christians. The Hindu terrorist party argues that it would encourage religious conversions of Hindus since exclusion of Dalit converts from SC list acts as a deterrent.
But with the government having raised expectations on inclusion of Dalit Muslims and Christians in the SC list, it may have a challenge on its hands fending off pressures from both sides. Head of Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz and Rajya Sabha MP Anwar Ali seized upon the report to demand that 1950 Presidential Order barring Muslims and Christians from SC list be revoked immediately to ensure them SC status and benefits.
Catholicunion@gmail.com adds: Justice Ranganath Misra and three religious members of the commission have recommended Scheduled Caste Rights for Muslims and Christians of Scheduled Caste origin (the issue of Dalit question is the third of three references of the Central Govt. to the commission) but the member-secretary, Mrs. Asha Das, IAS (retd.) has not agreed with the SC status for Dalit Christians and Muslims. The report has been given to Prime Minister Office. The Misra report will have to be submitted to the Supreme Court after the summer holidays in July 2007. The government will also have to give its ATR (Action Taken Report) at that time. Asha Das dissenting note gives much food to the Brahminical opposition to our demands and scuttles the Dalit Christian and Dalit Muslim.
