The Dalit issue facing UK Prime Minister Theresa May took a new turn on Friday after her government announced a “full public consultation” on the matter – a process that usually precedes parliament legislation, but is taking place on an issue that has sharply divided the Indian community.
The issue also has implications for India-UK relations, with the Indian government opposed to Britain codifying caste in law. Groups opposed to legislation on the issue welcomed the new consultation, while those supporting it reacted with fury on Saturday, accusing the May government of pandering to upper-caste individuals and groups.
A key aim of the consultation will be to obtain the views of the public on whether additional measures are needed to ensure victims of caste discrimination have appropriate legal protection and effective remedies under the 2010 Equality Act, official sources said.
Before taking any decisions, the government will carefully consider the responses to the consultation, which will run for 12 weeks from its commencement date, they added.
Rival groups have been lobbying the government intensely this week, with some denying the existence of caste-based discrimination in Britain and as such rejecting any law for the purpose, and others seeking the law to deal with the alleged discrimination.
Governments headed by David Cameron since 2010 have supported the view of Hindu-Sikh-Jain groups opposing the legislation, not acting on the issue after it was written into the Equality Act of 2010. The groups see May’s decision on Friday as another positive step.
{{/usCountry}}Governments headed by David Cameron since 2010 have supported the view of Hindu-Sikh-Jain groups opposing the legislation, not acting on the issue after it was written into the Equality Act of 2010. The groups see May’s decision on Friday as another positive step.
{{/usCountry}}Caste-based discrimination is not expressly prohibited under the equality legislation, but section 9 of the Equality Act 2010, as amended, requires the government to introduce secondary legislation to make caste an aspect of race, thereby making caste discrimination a form of race discrimination.
As per the timetable announced under the coalition government (2010-2015), the key secondary legislation was to be introduced in the summer of 2015, but that did not happen.
The consultation meets the demands of groups opposed to the law. They say there was no proper, wide consultation with the very community that would be affected by including caste in the Equality Act, 2010. They informed May that caste had not been defined even in India.
Ravi Kumar of the Anti-Caste Discrimination Alliance told HT: “Theresa May has shown that all her talk on being committed to fighting injustice in the UK, and promoting a vision of a country that ‘works for everyone – not just the privileged few’ is just empty rhetoric”.
“The Prime Minister had the opportunity to finally implement legislation that has been passed through Parliament, designed to provide protection to victims of caste-based discrimination here in the UK, but instead she has decided to consult again.”
“Consultation after consultation, excuse after excuse, the government just doesn’t get it that the only way to rid British society of caste discrimination is by enabling this passed legislation,” he added.
Dalit communities in Britain are estimated to be 480,000-strong, and according to two reports commissioned by the government, they face discrimination in education, employment and the provision of public goods and services.