The Union government has failed to ensure social justice for Dalit Christians by not extending reservation as recommended by the Ranganath Mishra committee, the former Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Council David Simeon said here on Sunday.
He was speaking at a seminar on “Challenges before the Christian Community”, organised by the Christian Youth Organisation.
If the Union government fails to implement this within the completion of its term, Christians should organise protests to fight for their rights, he added. He emphasised unity among Christians. “Unless the entire community unites and speaks up about these issues, there is no hope for setting things right,” he said. “Ensuring reservation at par with Scheduled Castes for Dalit Christians is the responsibility of the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre. And if it does not take its job seriously, it is the duty of the entire Christian community to speak up against it,” he said.
Another speaker, Dinesh Amin Matoo, said that compared to other minorities, Christians are perceived as well-off and affluent, but there are inequalities with large sections among them still backward and economically-weak. “The leaders of the Christian community need to focus on these sections,” he said.
He pointed out that even during the attacks on churches in the State, it was the less-empowered and backward sections among Christians that spoke up against the injustice. He spoke about the increasing commercialisation of what once started as Christian missionary enterprises in the education and health sector.
Manoj Chandraprasad of Church of South India spoke. More than 200 people from different places, including Mariyannapalya, Naganahalli, Mestripalya, Basavanapura and Chikkammanahalli, participated.
