Chennai, April 4, 2010 – Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Friday urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to enact a law to help Christians of dalit origin to get quota benefits just as their counter parts in Hinduism.

Karunanidhi in a letter called for the deletion of the paragraph which was added in the constitution of India. The paragraph 3 of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Modification Order stated that no person who belonged to religions other than Hinduism or Sikhism or Buddhism would be considered a for quota benefits.

The State government was of the view that members of the castes listed in the Schedule (Scheduled Castes) had suffered social and economic discrimination, irrespective of the religion professed by them.

Karunanidhi said his government was committed to extending all concessions, meant for SCs, to members of the SCs who were following other religions.

Karunanidhi drew Singh’s attention to the fact that the State government had already urged the Union government to take steps in this regard.