BRS demands revocation of order against SC status to Dalit Christians

HYDERABAD

The representatives of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) who participated in a protest organised by the All India Dalit Christian Rights Protection Committee at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Monday, R.S. Praveen Kumar and M. Rajiv Sagar, have termed removal of the Scheduled Caste (SC) status to the Dalit Christians as uncivilised.

Speaking at the protest, they demanded that the Centre revoke the Presidential Order on the cancellation of SC status to Dalit Christians and said it reflected discrimination against Dalit Christians even if they change their religion. They pointed out that it was in 1950 the Jawaharlal Nenru Government had got the Presidential Order issued through backdoor specifying that SC status would be given to Dalits only if they are in Hindu, Bhuddhist and Sikh religions.

They stated that attacks on Dalit Christians had started during the Congress rule itself and demanded that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu get the Presidential Order revoked by speaking to the Prime Minister since the BJP-led government at the Centre was surviving only with the support of Mr. Naidu and former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s parties. They said the order was in violation of Article 15 and 25 of the Constitution.

The BRS leaders mentioned that the BRS had submitted a report to the K.G. Balakrishnan Committee against the removal of SC status to Dalit Christians. They demanded that a bill be introduced in the ongoing session of Parliament itself for the restoration of SC status to Dalit Christians.