The K.G. Balakrishnan Commission is dealing with a challenging problem. It is tasked with examining whether Dalits who have converted to Christianity and Islam should be granted scheduled caste status. Since its report was not ready in October, the date for its submission, the Centre has extended its tenure until October next year. Given the problem, this is not surprising. Even Ambedkarites do not agree on it. So far only Dalits converting to Sikhism and Buddhism are given SC status apart from Hindus according to a 1950 presidential order. The historical wrongs done to them are officially recognised. The argument against offering SC status to Dalit Christians and Muslims is that the reservations are given to the untouchable; Dalit Christians and Muslims do not face untouchability. The conversion makes them a “new person”. Their share of the SC quota would lessen the share of other Dalits. Apart from that, minorities can run institutions of their own where the Supreme Court has allowed 50% reservation. They should not eat into the 15% reservation of Dalits in government jobs, educational institutions and Lok Sabha seats. This is proportional, but the Dalit population is now 16.6%. By including others in the SC category, the competition for quotas will be more intense, increasing the anxiety among the original beneficiaries.
But does conversion, which is a constitutional right, make Dalits into new persons? Neither the historical wrong done to them nor social discrimination vanishes because of conversion. Converted Dalits continue to face discrimination since they are not integrated into the religious communities they have converted to. As an Ambedkarite argues, Buddhist Dalits face the same discrimination and they are included in the SC list. Converted Dalits will have to be identified and perhaps a sub-quota made among scheduled castes to include them. But these are practical issues. The principle of reservation itself is under challenge with this proposal. Buddhists and Sikhs do not have untouchability yet those converting to these religions have been granted SC status. That is the crux of the problem. Would this be discrimination? Or would it be unfair to the SC Dalits to include more in the category? The political dimension of granting SC status makes the issue even more challenging. The commission will have to be neutral in its decision.