New Delhi, May 7, 2010: Church representatives this week met three Union ministers to lobby for Scheduled Caste status to Christians and Muslims of Dalit origin.

The NCCI and CBCI along with the National Council of Dalit Christians (NCDC) met Gurudas Kamat, Minister of State for Communications & Information Technology; Pratik Prakashbabu Patil, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports; and RPN Singh, Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways.

The ministers were apprised of the 'unjust' para 3 of Constitutional Order 1950 that excluded Christians and Muslims from the Scheduled Castes net and were urged to call for the implementation of Ranganath Mishra Commission Report (NCRLM Report) that recommended extending SC status to Christians and Muslims.

"Muslims and Christians of SC origin firmly believe in democratic structures such as Parliament and Judiciary. We have been ardently following peaceful democratic means for the past sixty years to demand our legitimate rights as citizens of this country. We are planning to intensify our peaceful struggles till we reach our goal," stated a letter addressed to the ministers.

Apart from action on the NCLRM report, the letter demanded an appropriate answer to the query of the Supreme Court to the Writ Petitions demanding deletion of para 3 of the 1950 Order.

"The ministers were very supportive and stressed that they would persuade the high command in bringing justice to Dalit Christians and Muslims," said S Raju of NCCI who was part of the delegation that met the ministers.

"They acknowledged that it was unfair on the government to not include Christians and Muslims for SC status. None of them stood opposed to our demands. They have promised their best to further the cause," he added.

Incidentally, yesterday, a Christian advocacy group condemned this discrimination against Christians and Muslims and said the "eligibility for membership of the Scheduled Castes should not be linked to religious status".

"Since caste-based discrimination continues to be practised to some extent in all religious communities, and Dalit converts are typically regarded and treated as Dalits, irrespective of their religious faith, this effectively imposes social and economic penalties for those embracing Christianity and Islam," Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) stated in a briefing released May 6.

"In practice, it has also resulted in the concealment of religious affiliation by beneficiaries of reservations who are afraid of losing their jobs. It also means that acts of violence against Dalit Christians or Dalit Muslims cannot be prosecuted under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act," the advocacy group noted.

It cited the two recent UN reports that echoed the recommendation for a change in the law to restore the eligibility for Scheduled Caste status to those who convert to another religion. (by Babu Thomas, CT)