Tamil Nadu assembly passes choice seeks quota for Dalit Christians

The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Wednesday handed a choice urging the centre to extend all benefits to scheduled caste people who reworked to Christianity.

The choice generally known as on the ‘Government of India to amend the Constitution to extend statutory protection, rights, and concessions, including reservation, to Scheduled Castes who have converted to Christianity,’ so that they are going to avail the benefits of social justice in all factors.

Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin tables choice inside the Legislative Assembly urging the Union authorities to ship amendments inside the authorized tips to supply reservation to the Adi Dravidians who’ve reworked to Christianity pic.twitter.com/B0f5a3mnFA

— ANI (@ANI) April 19, 2023

All totally different occasions, along with the first opposition, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), supported the choice, however, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Vanathi Srinivasan protested it by staging a walkout with totally different members of her social gathering. Her suggestions on the subject expressed inside the assembly had been moreover expunged by Speaker M. Appavu.

Chief Minister MK Stalin, who launched the choice, acknowledged that it was fallacious to deny Dalit Christians the equivalent privileges as totally different Adi Dravidar (Dalit) group members on the grounds of conversion to a special religion.

“People have the right to practice the religion of their liking, but their caste doesn’t change. Adi Dravidar people continue to suffer caste atrocities such as untouchability even after converting to other religions. We have to look into this aspect with compassion. Just because they got converted to another religion, denying them the rights enjoyed by the people of their own community is not right. It is our stand,” the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief well-known.

He requested the Okay.G. Balakrishnan Commission, which had been constituted by the Union authorities in October 2022 to analysis whether or not or not Dalit Christians and Muslims have to be granted reservations, to ship its findings solely after listening to from state governments.

“I request the commission to submit its final report only after eliciting the views of all states and after visiting the states. I move this resolution urging the Centre to amend the Constitution appropriately to extend the concessions given to SCs to those converted to Christianity too,” he appealed.

The CM talked about how constitutional modifications allowed for the inclusion of Sikhs in 1956 and Buddhists in 1990, and he claimed that the Adi Dravidars (Dalits) who reworked to Christianity had been hoping for a similar modification. He proclaimed, “In Tamil Nadu, Dalit Christian students and research scholars avail several scholarships, and it is only fair that they also receive the benefits of reservation.”

Meanwhile, Vanathi Srinivasan charged that the DMK moved the choice only for political benefits. “The central government is already looking into this issue through the Balakrishnan commission and the matter was also being heard in the Supreme Court. Even last week, this came up in the Supreme Court, and the case has been adjourned to July. So, when it is in court, and the central government is looking into it, why does this resolution need to be brought in now,” she requested whereas talking to reporters exterior the assembly.

The BJP lawmaker criticised the state authorities for remaining silent on the Vengaivasal scenario, explicit legal guidelines for recovering Panchami lands, and unimpeded honour killings inside the state, and challenged whether or not or not the choice was suggestive of the perpetual atrocities in the direction of SCs even after they reworked to Christianity and Islam.

According to the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, solely adherents of the Hindu, Sikh, or Buddhist faiths are presently granted the constitutional correct to reservations in employment and education as SC.