MEMORANDUM SUBMITTED TO THE CHIEF MINISTER OF TAMIL NADU AT THE PROTEST FAST AND DHARNA IN CHENNAI ON 13TH FEBRUARY 2010 TO PRESS FOR IMPLIMENTATION OF JUSTICE MISRA COMMISSION REPORT FOR FULL RIGHTS TO DALIT CHRISTIANS
Chennai, 13 February 2010
The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
With the request to impress our demands on the Hon’ble Prime Minister of
Respected Chief Minister
Greetings
Christians leaders and members of the Civil Society, led by The Most Reverend Dr. M Chinappa, Archbishop of Madras Mylapore and President of the Tamilnadu Catholic Bishops Conference, Dr john Dayal, Member, National Integration Council and Secretary General, All India Christian Council, Advocate M Arockiadoss, President NUDCIA and Past Treasurer, All India catholic Union, and others have sat on a day long Protest Fast and Dharna at Chennai to demand that the State government and the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party use its political goodwill with the United Progressive Alliance Union government to help in the immediate implementation of the Justice Misra Commission report for full human rights to Dalit Christians.
The Hunger strike and Dharna was jointly organised by the All India Catholic Union, Tamil Nadu unit, and the National Union of Dalit Christian
Immediate action by the State and Union government will also defeat the conspiracy by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Hindutva forces to disturb national peace on this issue, speakers at the Dharna noted. We denounce the communal designs of the Sangh Parivar and call on all democratic and secular forces to preserve the secular identity of
We recall the long history of our injury, and the painful journey we have made of protest. Christians and Muslims of Dalit Origin have agitated now for 60 years, urging the Government not to discriminate on grounds of religion, but to once again restore the political, economic and development privileges accorded all Dalits by the Constitution of India when it was signed into law on 26th January 1950. These rights were taken away brutally by the Presidential Order of 1950 which strengthened the right wing fundamentalist religious lobby and which continues to constitute a slur on the Secular foundations of the Indian Nation.
We have repeatedly seen the Central government go back on its promises though most political parties and many state governments including that of Tamilnadu have supported our cause. The government must understand the limits to our patience. Government must understand that in a democracy, the rights of the smallest and weakest minority must also be protected.
The Government some years ago referred this issue to the National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities headed by Justice Rangnath Misra. The Commission report has since be presented in Parliament, recommending, inter alia, that Christians and Muslims of Dalit origin be given all benefits now accorded to Scheduled Castes professing the Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist faiths.
We, the Dalit Christians together with our brothers and sisters in the Muslim faith, do once again demand the following:
- The Government inform the Supreme Court of its decision on the report, and
- The Government through Legislative action in the Budget Session of Parliament or by a Presidential Ordinance entirely scrap the notorious Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 and restore our rights to the full.
Thank you
The Memorandum is signed by the following:
1. Archbishop of
2. Dr John Dayal, Member, National Integration Council, Government of
3. Adv Edward Arokio Doss, President, NUDCI,
4. Lawrance, State President, All
5. F A Nathan, President, Chennai Catholic Assn.
6. M Selvam, Secretary, CA, Chennai
And
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