SDPI slams Union Government double standard on Dalit Reservation

Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) takes strong exception to the statement made by the Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in the Rajyasabha that Dalit converts to Islam and Christianity would lose reservation rights including the right to contest elections in SC reservation constituency. They will have no claim for Scheduled Caste reservation in other fields also. Reservation by inclusion in SC category is a long pending demand voiced by Dalit groups belonging to religious minorities, especially Dalit Christian groups and churches across India. More than a decade ago Justice Ranganathan Misra Commission has strongly recommended reservation to Dalit Christian and Muslim communities by amending the Presidential Order in this regard. At present the Dalit converts to Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist faiths only enjoy the SC reservation privileges. Instead of correcting this discrimination, BJP government has categorically made its stand clear against giving equal treatment to some weaker sections only because they belong to either Christian or Muslim faiths. This decision is also a reflection of fascist agenda of dividing the people of the country on the basis of religion and accelerating communal polarisation.M K Faizy, National President of SDPI, urged all political parties in the country to come forward to correct this blatant religious discrimination by putting pressure on government and taking a strong stand in the parliament in favour of reservation for all Dalitgroups. Moreover, he called upon the minority communities, especially Christian groups to realise the double standards of not only BJP, other parites also and build a united minorities front for reservation rights.