“Harijan Chritians” Demand Reservations

Bangalore : The All-India Scheduled Caste Christian Leaders Council, Bangalore, has urged the President of India to remove the constitutional disabilities to enable SC Christian converts to avail reservations. M.S. Arockiadas, secretary of the Council, writes while the govt. is eager to help ali economically weaker sections why should it descriminate against the equally poor Christian converts ?. A vocal section of the society wants “back– wardress” to be decided not on caste basis but economic (poverty) yard stick. But when “Harijan Christans” demand reservation on ground of their poverty, they change the argument saying Christians are not entitled for reservations as it is restricted only to Hindus and Sikhs. If untouchability is the chief criterion to decide who is a SC, then “Harijan Christians” are as much SCs as Hindu SCs. The Kaka Kalelkar Commission and different reports of the SC Commissioner have confirmed that “Harijan Christians” also – suffer from the stigma of untouchability even after the conversion. The Constitution says that the State shall not discriminate on grounds of religion and caste etc. How than we could be discriminated on grounds of religion ? Of the Christians in India a large chunk (at least 50%) is drawn from the Untouchables and the denial of reservation has put us into great hardship. The Presidential Order of 1950 says that to belong to SC, a condition is put that one should profess either Hinduism or Sikhism. This condition is unconstitutional. That means the State wants to encourage only these two religions The right to change one’s religion is a Fundamental Right under the Constitution and these rights have been infringed under the Presidentail Order of 1950. This historical wrong which has brought great hardships to “Harijan, Christians” must be set right, he says.