Karuna seeks PM intervention on converting Christians into SC list

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today sought the "personal intervention" of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to ensure inclusion of Christians in the list of Scheduled Castes.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Friday sought the "personal intervention" of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to ensure inclusion of Christians in the list of Scheduled Castes.

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In a letter to the prime minister, Karunanidhi said "though Paragraph 3 of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order 1950 originally laid down that no person who professes a religion different from Hinduism shall be deemed to be a member of Scheduled Castes, constitutional amendments were later made to include persons professing Sikhism and Buddhism in the SC list.

"The government of Tamil Nadu feels that members of Castes listed in SC have suffered social and economic discrimination irrespective of the religions professed by them," he said, adding it would be "appropriate if paragraph 3 of the Constitution (SC) order, 1950 is deleted in toto."

Karunanidhi sought the "personal intervention" of Singh on the inclusion of converting Christians into the list of SC through an Act of Parliament, meeting the Constitutional requirements to make them eligible for all concessions, including reservation benefits.

The DMK is a major constituent of the UPA dispensation at the Centre.