BENGALURU: Welcoming the socio-economic survey being carried out by the state government, Archbishop of Bengaluru Peter Machado has left the decision of adding ‘caste’ to Christian community members.
The Archbishop underlined the advantages of the survey, stating it will help identify the real beneficiaries of the government’s economic and social welfare policies. It will provide a clear classification of different caste groups, enabling the framing of policies and programmes that are just, inclusive and need-based. It will assist the state in correcting disparities and ensuring that the weakest and most marginalised truly benefit, he said.
The Archbishop is hopeful that the omission of certain castes linked to Christianity in the published lists will be restored after the final analyses of the survey.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, the Archbishop said community leaders never insisted on adding and identifying communities with a caste or sub-caste. During the socio-economic survey conducted by the Backward Classes Commission in 2015, members of the (Christian) community mentioned caste and sub-caste on their own. “However, their principal faith remains Christianity,” he added.
He expressed displeasure over opposition parties taking objection to caste and sub-caste, and other faiths linked within the Christian fold, and the government giving in.
“The downtrodden moved to the Christian fold, identified themselves with caste and sub-caste for policies and programmes for uplift, and the number was very small. Opposition to this, and the government removing caste and sub-caste is unfortunate.
However, giving an opportunity to community members to take part in the survey will help in tallying exact figures of the total Christian population,” he said. Christians are covered under 3C, behind Muslims (2B category) and the survey will help in appealing to the government to add the community to 2C, he added.
On the decision to knock out the provision for the downtrodden in the Christian community, and the opportunity in government programmes being denied, the Archbishop said, “Those who can afford a good education may move abroad, but many are poor and cannot get a government or a decent job.
The government will give them a job only if they belong to some caste. I don’t know why the opposition made a fuss about it. The number of castes is very less and we would have been happy if they had been accommodated.”
He contended that there was a presidential order in 1950, which discriminates between a Hindu convert and a Muslim or Christian convert. Hindu converts, who are Sikhs and Buddhists, can retain the category, but the same has been deprived for converts in Christian and Muslim folds. “This is open discrimination. Give us what you are given to them,” he urged.