LJP for inclusion of Dalit Muslims, Dalit Christians in SC list

LJP chief Ramvilas Paswan made a strong pitch for Scheduled Caste status for Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians.

LJP chief Ramvilas Paswan on Thursday made a strong pitch for Scheduled Caste status for Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians.

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"We demand from the UPA to give Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians, the status of Scheduled Caste. They are already listed in the OBC category.

"The government has to just transfer them from one category to another and no constitutional amendment is required for that," Paswan said while addressing a programme of the National Council of Dalit Christians in New Delhi.

JD-U's chief whip in the Rajya Sabha, Ali Anwar, said leaders of different political parties have attended the programme to show solidarity for the demand. He also sought immediate tabling of the Ranganath Mishra Commission report. Congress MP P J Kurien also said he personally endorses the demand.

NCDS' national President M Mary John said the Ranganath Mishra headed National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities (NCRLM) stated that non-inclusion of SC Christians and SC Muslims in SC list is a discrimination based on religion and goes against the articles 14, 15 and 25 of the Constitution.

NCDC demanded that the government tabled the NCRLM report in Parliament with action taken report and implement its recommendations. It also presented a bunch of letters written by different political parties, resolutions of different state assemblies and manifestos of political parties in support of its demand for SC status to Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims.