Let Dalits who want reservation remain Hindus

A vocal section of the Catholic Church in India, has, for some two decades now trying to get ‘Dalit Christians’ recognized as one of the scheduled castes in India. Now, these scheduled castes are usually formerly untouchable Hindus who get certain privileges above ‘general’ citizens.



This is a stupid picture, isn't it? No? Think about it!

 Recently there have been anguished outpourings from no less than veteran media person and Indian Catholic leader John Dayal that  the present dispensation [read the government of India led by Narendra Modi] are going to ignore that longstanding demand.

 If the Prime Minister Modi once and for all totally rejects this impassioned plea, several thousand Christians would actually be pleased. Very pleased.

 This nonsense about caste -based reservations is political clap-trap. I maintain that the demand is totally un-Chrisian and subversive. Historically, and biblically, one does not deserve to become a Christian ‘the easy way’. If a Dalit chooses to join the church and be ‘equal’ to those high caste Christians who have literally ‘forsaken all’ to embrace the faith, then let him forsake the government benefits which are for Hindus. If he can’t do that, then what the dickens is he in it for? For free access to Christian educational and medical institutions? that shouldn’t be a problem anyway, because Christian, especially church run institutions are supposed to reach out to the poorest of the poor, no matter who they are.

Let the Dalits who want reservation remain Hindus. Those who want to 'convert' must reject reservation. It is a moral choice. I would say that we should encourage such wishy-washy chaps to opt for 'Ghar Wapsi'!

 

Let them choose between material benefit and spiritual benefit in the same way as several other high caste ‘converts’ have. When a Brahmin or a Rajput person decides to become a Christian, are the Christian  priests unaware of the great risks they take? Friends, and most importantly, their own families treat them as outcastes. Even so, knowingly, they accept the cross, both literally and figuratively. Its very interesting how the catholic  priests  and bishops are extremely careful when high caste people want to get baptized and publicly state that they wish to join the Church.  They actually discourage them.

 

This pro-Dalit casteism within the Catholic Church has rankled and continues to rankle many. The Church was built on the blood of martyrs. However misguided they may have been, it is the fact that hundreds and thousands of people were ready to lay down their lives rather than do a Ghar Wapsi. This ghar wapsi stuff was tried by the ancient Romans: recant your beliefs and here’s a life of luxury, follow this new ideology called Christianity and be torn apart by lions.

 

[By the way, Latin “christianus” meant cretin; the Romans used to throw Christians to the lions, and because the Christian martyrs refused to give up their religion, to run away, or even to fight back, they were thought to be acting like complete idiots.

 Throughout the Roman Empire (i.e. the civilised world), if someone was stupid, they were called “Christian”. The word meant that.]

Coming from a lineage that can claim that an ancestor or two was executed by Henry VIII rather than switch allegiance from the Pope, I find this pandering to the so-called  Dalit Christians particularly nauseating. What is more disturbing is the fact that there are a lot of chaps who are ‘officially’ getting government benefits as Hindus while masquerading as Christians and getting handouts from the Church as well.

In the Catholic Church there is no ‘Dalit reservation’ -- or is there a lobby  led by a few Jesuits and Diocesan priests that wants to give reservations to guys so that they become ‘dalit pastors’ even though they are morally, spiritually  and intellectually wanting? 

I have a great love for Dalits and want them to evolve as soon as possible into efficient, tax-paying citizens of the country, with dignity and without having to play the victim always. Being an agnostic, I have an unbiased attitude towards all religions, and do find it extremely silly when some of my Catholic priest friends become misty eyed over the perceived injustices to the Musahars, but are stone cold to the problems and the tribulations of the poorer sections of Christians such as those from Bettiah, Goa, or the Anglo-Indians.

 

The Modi government would do well to curb any more ‘reservations’. We’ve had enough. Modi should firmly deny any such benefits to the so-called  Dalit Christians.  If Brahmin and Rajput Christians don’t get minority benefits, why should they?

 

Author: Frank Krishner