New Delhi, Jan 14 (PTI) The National Commission forMinorities (NCM) is not favour of granting minority status toVedic Brahmans and Sindhis.
It has also said that if the request of World BrahmanOrganisation and Purbouttar Bahubhashiya Brahmin Mahasabha isagreed to by the government, other castes like Rajputs andVaishyas would also make similar demands leading to "manifoldand unwarranted fragmentation" of the Hindu community.
"Vedic Brahmans are part and parcel of the Hindureligion. Merely claiming that Vedic Brahmans are only aselect few does not warrant a view that they should bedeclared as a minority community by the government of India,"the Commission said in its annual report for 2016-17.
It also said that the community's claim that they arecommitted to protect their tradition and culture does not addany further weight to their claim for minority status. TheUNESCO urging to protect the Vedas and Vedic vulture is alsonot supporting their case to declare them as a separateminority community, it added.
According to the commission, in case the governmentagrees to the demand of the Brahman organisations, it mayresult in other castes seeking similar status.
"In view of the above, the commission finds no merit inthe claim for declaring Vedic Brahmans as a separate minoritycommunity," the panel said.
On the demand for grant of minority status to Sindhis,the commission observed that the community members based theirclaim primarily on the ground that they are a "linguisticminority".
"It is not their case that Sindhis living in differentparts of the country are not part of the Hindu religion.
Moreover, the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992deals only with religious minorities.
"Therefore, the commission finds no merit in their claimfor being declared as a minority community," the panel said.
The report is yet to be tabled in Parliament, sourcessaid.
The previous commission, whose tenure ended in March lastyear, had made the observations during its meeting held on May3, 2016.
It was not clear from the report when did the communitiesdemanded the minority tag.
At present, there are six notified communities namelyMuslims, Buddhists, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis and Jains. PTIENMZMN.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.