Madras: The non-inclusion of Dalit Christians in the list of Scheduled Castes militates against the constitutional guarantee against discrimination on the basis of religion, according to Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan. Addressing a meeting of the Dalit Sena, he said there was no reason for denying Dalit Christians the benefits of reservation when they were extended to Dalit Budhists and Dalit Sikhs. Also, in the case of Scheduled Tribes, there was no discrimination against Christians or Muslims, he said. One of the apprehensions against including Dalit Christians in the SC list was that would increase the number of beneficiaries without a corresponding increase in the percentage of reservation. A solution to this problem lay in removing the 50% ceiling on reservation imposed by the Supreme Court. Other areas which needed correction were the restriction on reservation in promotions and the exclusion of the creamy layer, he said. (Hindu May 27, 2000 )
