Wednesday, February 23, 2011

[ZESTCaste] Heat over quota to Dalit minorities

 

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Heat-over-quota-to-Dalit-minorities/Article1-665615.aspx

Heat over quota to Dalit minorities
Aurangzeb Naqshbandi, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, February 22, 2011

The political heat over the demand for extending reservation benefits
to Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims has gained momentum with the
assembly elections coming up in five states. The Supreme Court hears
the matter on February 24. The demand to scrap clause three of the
Constitution (Scheduled Cas
tes) Order 1950, which excludes Muslim and Christian Dalits from
reservation has found many takers.

According to the order, only persons belonging to Hindu, Sikh and
Buddhist religions are eligible to be included in the list of
Scheduled Castes.

With an eye on the coming assembly polls, the ruling communist parties
in Kerala and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu have raised
the pitch over the issue.

The CPM recently organised a major convention at Kottayam, a major
Christian centre in Kerala, to woo the Dalit Christians. Christians
form 19% of the state's 31.8 million people while Dalit Christians are
around 4%.

Similarly in Tamil Nadu, the DMK has said it will take up their cause
in Parliament.

DMK boss and chief minister M Karunanidhi has maintained that the
demand for granting Scheduled Caste status to Dalit Christians "is not
only just but also indisputable" and if necessary the party would even
lead an agitation.

But the Congress, on its part, is treading very cautiously on the issue.

A section has argued that the issue could trigger political backlash
and cost dearly for the party.

Senior Congress leaders like Arjun Singh and Digvijaya Singh are
strong votaries of the reservation for minorities.

Digvijaya, who is party general secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh,
has maintained that reservation should be extended on the basis
backwardness and not on religious grounds.

Digvijaya has set his sight on the 2012 assembly elections in Uttar
Pradesh, considered crucial for the Congress to re-emerge as the
single dominant force at the Centre, and his quota carrot to Muslims
is part of the strategy to woo the community.

The minority vote in the recent past has shifted between the Bahujan
Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party.

The matter remained inconclusive at the meeting of the cabinet
committee on political affairs on Monday.

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[ZESTCaste] AG briefs CCPA on quota for Dalit Christians, Dalit Muslims

http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/22/stories/2011022264741700.htm

AG briefs CCPA on quota for Dalit Christians, Dalit Muslims

Smita Gupta

In the context of court poser

Special session as complicated issues are involved

Quota for these groups should not be from 15% for Dalits: SC Commission

New Delhi: Attorney-General G.E. Vahanvati on Monday briefed the
Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs on the long-standing demand by
Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims that they be given reservation, the
way Dalit Buddhists are, as per the 1950 Presidential Order.

The briefing was given in the context of a Public Interest Litigation
petition pending in the Supreme Court: at the last hearing, it asked
the government whether the fact that Dalit Christians and Dalit
Muslims are deprived of the benefits of reservation did not amount to
hostile discrimination under Article 14. The government will have to
either justify upholding the 1950 Presidential Order or accept the
Ranganath Misra Commission recommendation of reservation for Dalit
Christians and Dalit Muslims.

Government sources said the special briefing was given as "many
complicated legal issues are involved" but currently "no decision was
called for." However, the government will have to deal with the matter
sooner rather than later, the sources said, as a decision will impact
on the promised caste census: at present, there are no authentic
figures for the various castes.

Taking a decision on a quota for Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims is
complicated by the fact that the National Commission for Scheduled
Castes has said if reservation is given to these two groups, it should
not be from the 15 per cent meant for Dalits — it should be a separate
quota. The existing position on reservation at the national level is:
27 per cent for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), 15 per cent for the
SC (or Dalits) and 7.5 per cent for the Scheduled Tribes. The three
categories together account for 49.5 per cent, and till now, the
Supreme Court has ruled that reservation should not exceed 50 per
cent. Clearly, therefore, a decision one way or the other will open a
can of worms.

The members of the CCPA, which is headed by Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh, include Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Home Minister P.
Chidambaram and Defence Minister A.K. Antony. A special invitee at the
meeting was Minorities Affairs Minister Salman Khursheed.


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[ZESTCaste] Dalit set afire after son elopes with Muslim girl

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Dalit-set-afire-after-son-elopes-with-Muslim-girl/articleshow/7552211.cms

Dalit set afire after son elopes with Muslim girl
TNN, Feb 23, 2011, 01.35am IST

NAMAKKAL: A 61-year-old dalit man was burnt to death in Periyapatti
village of Namakkal district after his son eloped with a Muslim girl
of the same village.

Nallayan's son Sekhar (27) was in love with Gulzar (21) and couple
allegedly eloped recently. At 3pm on Monday, when Nallayan was working
in a shop in Periyapatti, Gulzar's father Shahjahan went there and
called out to him. An argument ensued, followed by a scuffle during
which Shahjahan allegedly poured petrol over Nallayan. He then lit his
cigarette lighter, setting fire to Nallayan who suffered serious burn
injuries. Although he was admitted to the Namakkal government
hospital, Nallayan died later, police said.

Nallayan's daughter Shanthi said Shahjahan and his relatives had
threatened her family members soon after Sekar eloped with Gulzar.
Nallayan had pleaded with Shahjahan to give him two days to search for
his son.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit Mahasabha State-level conference today

 

http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/20/stories/2011022051880300.htm

Dalit Mahasabha State-level conference today

Staff Reporter

The conference will be addressed by noted social activists, says Katti Padma Rao

ONGOLE: The Andhra Pradesh Dalit Mahasabha will hold a massive
state-level conference here on Sunday to bring together SCs, STs, BCs
and minorities on a common platform to achieve political power for
themselves in the state.

Dalit Mahasabha founder president Katti Padma Rao told a press
conference here on Saturday that since the formation of Andhra Pradesh
in 1956, only two dominant communities held the post of Chief Minister
all through but for a brief 22-month period when dalit leader
Damodaram Sanjeevaiah held the high office in the 1960's.

He said the conference, which would be addressed by noted social
activists noted baladeer Gadar, was aimed at educating these sections
on the need for achieving political power for them for getting their
due share in the State's resources.

Members from 87 of the 210 BC communities were not elected to the
State legislature even once, he lamented.

Andhra Pradesh Dalit Mahasabha president Chintapalli Guruprasada Rao
and State Organising Secretary Paladugu Vijendra Bahujan were present.

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