“Slogan of Mim-Bhim is a conspiracy to end the Scheduled Caste. They are not concerned about the welfare of SCs, and their aim is only to increase their numbers. If they were concerned about the SCs, they would have given SCs the benefit of reservation in their (Christian and Muslim) institutions and the benefit of scholarships given to the minorities,” said Dr Surendra Jain, Central Joint General Secretary of Vishwa Hindu Parishad on March 5, while addressing the concluding session of two days conclave, “Conversion and Reservation”, organised by Vishwa Samvad Kendra in association with Gautam Buddha University.
Dr Jain further said, “This year we are celebrating the 200th birth anniversary of Swami Dayanand ji. Swamiji had said that untouchability is aveda, which means it is not mentioned anywhere in the Vedas. He said that one person will not take any decision on the issue of reservation for converts, but the whole country will think about it. That’s why we are discussing this topic through this conclave. There should be a nationwide discussion on this. We will see comprehensive results of this two-day discussion in comming times.” He appealed to educationists, jurists, and sociologists to bring this issue to the centre of discussion nationwide.
Importantly, the Subject of the conclave was the scheduled caste community, who have converted to Christianity or Islam, should get benefit from reservation given to the Hindu Dalit community or not.
During the concluding session of the two days conclave “Conversion and Reservation”, Justice (Retd) Shivshankar said, “conversion means leaving one faith completely and adopting another. And if you have left your faith, then why to demand reservation and benefits given under it?”
Padma Shri Milind Kamble, Chairman of the Dalit Indian Chamber of commerce and Industry (DICCI), said, “Provision of Reservation was made to give proper representation to those who had less representation. However, those convered to other religions snatched its benefits from those who deserved it.
Still today they are eying on this.” He said that some people want to grab political power in the name of the Reservation to Convert people. They should cry for reservation before the Minorities Commission instead of snatching it from us.
Before this session, Arun Halder, Vice-Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, said,” reservation was brought to bring exploited society forward. Backward society comes forward with the help of caste-based reservation; this is for what reservation was brought.” He said it would be wrong if the people converted due to greed and pressure, get reservation benefits”.
While presenting his paper, Prof SC Sanjeev Rayppa said, “Converted people are more protected. We SCs are unsung Heroes. Cases of conversion will increase if converted gets benefits of reservation. Coverted SCs don’t change their name in documents and keep getting benefits of reservation.”
He said that if converted pressurises and threatens the local people in the villages who follow their original culture, where will these people go?
Notably, seven retired judges, seven chancellors and vice-chancellors of different universities, thirty prominent professors and lecturers, eight eminent lawyers, and more than thirty workers of various social organisations participated in this two days conclave.
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