THE Ranganath Misra Commission Report which recommended reservation for Christians, has received sharp reaction even from Christians. The Poor Christian Liberation Movement (PCLM) which represents majority of the dalit Christians in India for whom the Commission basically recommended reservation, outrightly rejected the report saying that ‘the implementation of the report would have serious impact on the growth and survival of Christianity in India’. “The report is contrary to the principles of Christianity and will ‘legalise’ caste system in Christianity. Reservation is being given on the basis of ‘religion’ which is unconstitutional as the caste is not recognised under the Canon laws,” said a 34-pages booklet, Ranganath Misra Commission Report: A Brief Description and a Critique from Christian Perspective, prepared jointly by PCLM and Indian Christian Righteous Action Forum (ICRAF). The booklet has been authored by PCLM president RL Francis and Forum-ICRA president Joseph J Anthony.
Strongly opposing the implementation of the Report, Shri Francis asks: “Will the recommendations of the Commission bring liberation and equality among the downtrodden section of the India Christian community or will it compartmentalise them as lower category for ever? This is the moot question.”
“The ‘discrimination’ within the church in India with a section of Christians because of their caste background is an internal matter of the faithful and no amount of legal reservation can remove it. Only the initiative from the Vetican and the World Council of Churches can change the situation,” adds Shri Anthony.
The book argues that ‘the downtrodden people adopted Christianity for equality, human dignity and liberty and not for bread alone. That is why they now want to be identified as Christians and not as dalit Christians. Once they adopted Christianity they are no more dalits. This is a fact that there is still discrimination against these people within the Church itself.
The book also noted with deep regret that the Commission totally rejected and condemned the views and suggestions given by its Member Secretary Smt Asha Das, whereas her views were based on historical evidences and social root ground.
(FOC)
(Poor Christian Liberation Movement, A-262, DDA Flats, Ghazipur, Delhi- 110 096, email: pclmfrancis@gmail.com)
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