Sir,
The Constitution of India in 1950 provided all the constitutional safeguards and rights of reservation for upward mobility and regaining the lost leadership of Dalits.
The reservation facilities and other constitutional privileges to Scheduled Caste empowered them to regain all the rights. The policy of Social Justice of the Government extended all the Schedule Caste rights and privileges according to the percentage of Scheduled Caste population. These rights and privileges for acquiring leadership are denied to Scheduled Caste converts to Christianity (Dalit Christians) by the Government of India and Catholic Church in India.
In Indian constitution the President is empowered by the Article 341 (1) to extend benefits to the scheduled castes and races eligible for reservation and in this he is expected to enlist the castes only, not the religions. In contradiction to Article 341, he promulgated (Schedule Caste) Order 1950 stating in Para 3 “Notwithstanding anything contained in Para 2, no person who professes a religion different from Hinduism shall be deemed to be a member of Scheduled Caste”. The Order is Communal and anti-Constitutional because it brings in religion as a base for extending reservation. The Scheduled Caste Rights and Privileges under Articles 15(4), 46, 330, 341 are totally denied to Dalit Christians due to their conversion to Christianity. Therefore this presidential order is the barrier for Leadership of Dalit Christians in the Government, Politics and Society.
Early missionaries were following the policy of adaptation and viewing caste not a religious factor but social factor. The missionaries accommodated the practice of caste customs of the new converts for the sake of evangelization. The tolerance of caste discrimination continues even today and the Dalit leadership is denied in Indian Church.
Statements, Resolutions and Action Plans declared by the General Body Meetings of Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) and CRI assured empowerment and Leadership to Dalit Catholics but not fully realized in action.
Dalit Catholics make the Indian Church. Therefore Leaders and authorities in Vatican and in India are bound to extend leadership to Dalit Community for glorious future of the Church tomorrow.
Yours etc…..
Predhuman K Joseph Dhar,
Jammu
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