Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin submitted a resolution in the state Assembly requesting that Dalit Christians be included in the Scheduled Castes (SC) reservation scheme. Stalin contended that doing so would give the population access to social justice advantages in all spheres.
The Assembly supported the resolution, which stated that even after converting to Christianity, Dalits faced discrimination and caste-based violence. The resolution refers to earlier petitions made by the ruling DMK party, emphasising the importance of Dalit Christians receiving the same reservation benefits as Buddhists and Sikhs.
The state administration reached this decision just a few weeks after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin hosted an All India Social Justice Forum. The conference was attended by delegates from over a dozen opposition groups. During the summit, Stalin’s DMK party urged that he play a larger role in national politics, emphasising social justice issues. According to a DMK leader, Stalin’s impact extends not only to Tamil Nadu and Kerala but to other states too. They believe he will become a major figure in Indian politics.
M K Stalin, the CM of Tamil Nadu, presented the resolution and claimed it was a question of compassion. Stalin believed that even after converting to a different religion, Dalits suffered discrimination and that extending their reservations would help them acquire education and opportunities for employment. He contended that denying them the right to the reservation was unjust because they converted their religion.
Stalin further emphasised that while people have the right to choose their religion, changing their faith does not impact their caste standing. Following this social justice system in its true spirit is an important part of the Dravidian movement. In his speech, Stalin demanded that the Indian government amend the Constitution to provide Dalit Christians with statutory protection, rights, and advantages compared to those provided to Scheduled Castes under the Indian Constitution. He claimed this would allow them to receive social justice benefits in all sectors.
The recent resolution enacted by the Tamil Nadu Assembly is significant as the Union Government opposes extending reservation rights to Dalits who have embraced Christianity or Islam. This issue is rooted in various factors, including the scope of conversions allowed by Semitic religions compared to Eastern religions such as Hinduism. From a political standpoint, there is concern that giving Scheduled Caste status to Dalit Christians and Muslims could encourage a surge in religious conversions.
In December 2022, the Central Government notified the Supreme Court that it was unlikely to implement the suggestions of the Justice Ranganath Misra Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities. This commission had proposed that Dalits who converted to Christianity and Islam be granted reservation quotas.
Furthermore, the Central Government has formed a committee headed by former CJI Justice K G Balakrishnan to investigate the subject and assess the viability of granting reservations to Dalit Christians and Muslims. The committee’s findings and recommendations will serve as the foundation for the ultimate decision, which will consider the social, political, and constitutional ramifications of such an expansion.
Poverty, social oppression, and caste-based violence have all had a role in the majority of mass conversion episodes documented in independent India. In the 1980s, Meenakshipuram near Tirunelveli witnessed one of the largest mass conversions in Tamil Nadu, with over 250 Dalit families converting to Islam after being stripped of the right to worship in regional temples. The mass conversion surprised Parliament and drew the attention of numerous Hindu and Muslim organisations.
Similarly, after being prevented entry into a village temple, a dozen Dalit households in Pazhankallimedu hamlet near Nagapattinam converted to Islam in 2016.
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