The Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha unequivocally expresses its disapproval of the attempts to seek reservations for the converts from SCs. We are against reservation on the basis of religion.
It may be recalled that the apex court has, on numerous earlier occasions, rejected the PILs seeking reservations to converts from SCs. The court has clearly stated that reservations were intended to undo the damage caused to a section of the Hindu Society due to caste discrimination resulting in their social disability. The moment a person embraces Islam or Christianity, he ceases to be a part of the Hindu caste system. While converting people, Christian proselytisers proclaim that there will be no caste discrimination in Christianity. How can then they demand reservation for such converts? Will the heads of Christian denominations declare that caste discrimination exists in their religion?
All the Acts?right from the Government of India Act 1935 to SC & ST Act 1950 amended till date?have been very clear on this issue. Founding fathers of our Constitution have discussed and rejected this proposal in the Constituent Assembly. Even the British had rejected similar demand in 1936 for reservation to converts from SCs.
If this demand of the converts from SCs is conceded it will render great injustice to SCs as a large share of the benefit for which they are rightfully entitled will be grabbed away by the converts. Another serious implication will be a steep rise in religious conversions among SCs since it will remove a major obstacle for the foreign-funded Christian missionaries who are engaged in religious conversions by hook or by crook. There is already a large section of converts from SCs who continue to hold on to Hindu names and enjoy reservation benefits. These crypto-Christians, who constitute about 2.1 per cent of our population, are depriving SCs of their opportunities. Hence the ABPS unequivocally demands that the Central Government should fulfill its constitutional obligation of protecting the interests of the SCs by squarely rejecting this demand for reservations to converts from SCs.
The ABPS appeals to all the representatives and leaders of the SCs and their institutions to understand the sinister game plan of the proselytisers behind this demand and render a death-blow to their designs. The ABPS is gravely concerned about the proposal for 5 per cent reservation for Muslims in state government services and educational institutions by Andhra Pradesh government and large-scale recruitment of Muslims in state police force by the Assam government.
Recently published list of newly recruited police constables in Assam discloses that about 60 per cent of those employed were Muslims, many of whom are alleged to be infiltrators from Bangladesh. This was a blatant violation of the existing recruitment policy. The state Deputy Home Minister'sstatement that it was in line with the population pattern of the state is most reprehensible. These pronouncements are tantamount to succumbing before the vocal minorities for narrow political ends.
The ABPS demands that the governments of Andhra Pradesh and Assam refrain from pursuing such blatantly communal policies in the larger interest of the unity and integrity of the nation. The ABPS compliments the people of Andhra Pradesh and Assam for mounting a powerful popular movement against these acts of their respective state governments.
Resolution – 3
Centenary of Anti-?Banga-Bhanga? Movement
The Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha pays its homage to the celebrated leaders on this inspiring centenary occasion of the successful Vande Mataram Movement against the partition of Bengal. In pursuance of their devious ?divide-and-rule? policy the British, through Lord Curzon had announced the Bengal partition plan on July 20, 1905. It was a sinister move to infuse the poisonous Two-Nation Theory into Bharat'sharmonious national life. Fortunately the alert nation had opposed it vociferously. Resistance to this divisive plan was not confined to Bengal alone but it acquired an all-Bharat dimension under the leadership of Maharishi Aurobindo, Gurudev Rabindranath Thakur, sister Nivedita and Shri Bipin Chandra Pal. Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak from Maharashtra and Lala Lajput Rai from Punjab had also joined the anti-partition movement. Leadership trio of Lal-Bal-Pal became popular during this movement. Even in deep South leaders like Shri V.O.Chidambaram Pillai in Madras Presidency had raised a banner of revolt against the partition of Bengal and led a massive movement. This movement had made the immortal song Vande Mataram from the Anand Math novel of Rishi Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya a major source of inspiration for all freedom fighters. It was at this time that the Swadeshi Movement assumed an all-Bharat proportion and became identified as struggle for freedom. Nationalist Muslims like Maulana Liaquat Hussain had also joined this chorus in opposing the deviousness of the British. Finally nationalism of Bharat had won and divisive policies of the British were defeated. King George ?V? had to undo the partition of Bengal in 1911.
The ABPS would like to remind the country that the integral national spirit that was strengthened by our leaders during the movement against partition of Bengal between 1905 and 1911 was reversed by the separatist deviation that occurred when the ?separate electorates? for the Muslims on the lines of Morley-Minto reforms of 1909 was accepted by the Congress in 1916 as Lucknow Pact. This deviation reached its zenith when it supported the Khilafat movement in 1921. As a result, over time the Muslim separatist psyche got more virulent and the victory that we had achieved in 1911 was lost in 1947. Bharat was partitioned on the spurious Two-Nation Theory.
The ABPS calls upon the countrymen in general and Swayamsevaks in particular to organise programmes commemorating the centenary of anti-partition movement between July 20 and August 15, 2005. This effort will strengthen our integrated national life and pave the way for the Bharatiya nationalism to march towards its cherished goal of Akhand Bharat?
