The Maharashtra government has set up a 27-member committee to look into whether members of Scheduled Tribes who convert to another religion can be allowed to avail reservation and other government benefits.
The committee, headed by state Tribal Development Minister Ashok Uike, will examine central laws as well as the legal position in other states, and then recommend a policy for Maharashtra, a government resolution on July 16 said.
The government resolution did not specify any deadline by when the committee has been asked to submit its report.
The 1950 Constitution Scheduled Caste Order states that only persons belonging to the Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh faiths can claim Scheduled Caste status. However, no such provision exists for Scheduled Tribes, who continue to be recognised as such irrespective of the religion they practice.
However, in May, the Janjatiya Suraksha Manch, supported by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, submitted representations to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding that members of Scheduled Tribes who convert to another religion should be “delisted” from the category, The Indian Express reported. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is the parent organisation of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
The Janjatiya Suraksha Manch argued that those who give up traditional Adivasi faith and customs after converting to another religion should not be eligible for Scheduled Tribe benefits.
Scheduled Tribes account for 9.35% of Maharashtra’s total population, according to the 2011 Census. While 97.2% of them identified as Hindus, the 2011 Census also stated that there were 1.13 lakh Muslims, over 20,000 Christians and nearly 21,000 Buddhists among Scheduled Tribes, The Indian Express reported.
Adivasi activist Sanjay Dabhade was quoted as saying by the newspaper that the setting up of a committee on July 16 was “illogical” and was driven by the agenda of the RSS.
“The RSS and the Vanvasi organisations have been raising this demand for years, and, despite being in power in several states, they know it cannot be implemented without a constitutional amendment,” Dabhade told The Indian Express. “The Constitution does not make religion a criterion for ST status. What is being attempted is unconstitutional and part of Hindutva politics.”
Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.
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