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Kesri's gamble on dalit Christians - The Indian Express

K V Kumaran ()
21 January 1997

Title : Kesri's gamble on dalit Christians
Author : K V Kumaran
Publication : The Indian Express
Date : January 21, 1997

Dalit Christians are said to be a neglected lot and no wonder
Sitaram Kesri tries to woo them while finding fault with Deve Gowda
for not implementing the item of dalit Christian Reservation in the
United Front's Common Minimum Programme. Hence his reported
assurance to the president of the All India United Christian
Movement that as president of the Congress party, lie would put an
end to the discrimination on the basis of religion and extend
reservation to dalit Christians on par with other Scheduled Castes.

The senior bishops courting arrest outside the Parliament House on
November 23, 1996, demanding introduction of the Constitution
(Scheduled Castes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 1996 in the winter
session of Parliament before it concluded on December 20, did not
bring about the desired results. The disappointed bishops in their
wisdom could only complain about the leaders of the United
Christian Movement to Kesri, who is likely to be the next Prime
Minister.

In fact, the Bill was fathered by Kesri in his capacity as Union
Welfare Minister. The Bill needs only a republication in the name
of the present Welfare Minister B. S. Ramoowalia and the seven
days' statutory notice for its introduction. The Bill was designed
to be passed by Parliament under Article 341(2) which requires only
a simple majority support. The BJP's objection, however strong, is
not decisive. Senior bishops by courting arrest in November last
year only wanted to alert Ramoowalia.

In fact, Kesri, as Welfare Minister, had sought the permission of
the Speaker to move the Bill on March 12,1996, the very last day of
the 10th Lok Sabha. Kesri was not present in Parliament on that
crucial date and he made his junior minister K. V. Thangabalu to
face the Lok Sabha. The Speaker, Shivraj Patil, denied permission
for want of the seven days' statutory notice. Had Kesri given
sufficient notice, the Bill would have been the law of the land.
Kesri alone is, therefore, responsible for the perpetuation of the
so-called religious discrimination.

The question is: Why did Kesri abstain from the Lok Sabha on March
12, 1996? Why did he fail to give seven days' statutory notice and
postpone it to the last day of the 10th Lok Sabha? Why did Ram
Vilas Paswan insist (as recorded in the proceedings of the Lok
Sabha for that day) that the Bill should be passed that day itself
without any discussion?

The answers are not far to seek. Kesri in his capacity as Welfare
Minister, had assured Ram Dhan, the then Chairman of the National
Commission for SCs and STs, that "the Government of India is
considering only those proposals which fulfil the criteria for the
inclusion of any community as Scheduled Caste and where there is
agreement in the views of State Governments and the Central
Government and the Registrar General of India." As pointed out in
that letter, this assurance was in pursuance of a representation
made by the Kerala SC-ST Federation.

But it was without satisfying, any of those conditions that Kesri
assured in the Lok Sabha on August 26, 1995 that he would move the
Bill in that winter session.

After the general election, with the inclusion of the dalit
Christian reservation in the Common Minimum Programme, Ramoowalia,
as Welfare Minister, has only to republish Kesri's Bill in hi., own
name and give seven days' notice. The, demonstration by senior
bishops was only, to remind Ramoowalia of this fact.

Let us hope that Kesri will not take a political risk to appease
Christians by implementing a proposal that would cut into the
existing SC/ST reservation quota as pointed out by the National
Commission for SCs and STs.

Let us also hope that the president of, the Indian National
Congress would not like to be a party to the sabotage of the Poona
Pact of 1932, the genesis of SC, reservation.

Let Kesri's Bill remain stillborn for ever and this chapter be
closed.



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