QUESTION: The VHP spokesperson says that Christians who do not deserve reservation are also getting it, and so the government should conduct a study on it. What have you to say about it?

ANSWER: They are suggesting that Christians are enjoying the privileges of reservation masquerading as Hindus. Christians are wary of revealing their identity. In itself, Christians as Christians don’t get reservation. There are Christians who are using Hindu names in many states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu, etc. If you call yourself a Christian, you don’t get reservation. The government is having recourse to double standards in this matter, and it is wrong. That is why people are agitating on this issue. But the government is not responding. The CBCI is struggling hard to get reservation for deserving Christians officially approved. Whether they are Christians or Hindus, the economic condition of scheduled castes and tribes is the same. Why should Christians at all be deprived of reservation? I am very doubtful that the BJP government will solve this issue, be-cause they don’t expect any political gain from it. We are a small minority whose votes will not make much of a difference. The fact that our Constitution has no provision for providing reservation for tribals or dalits who get converted to Christianity makes it a sensitive issue.

Abp. Leo Cornelio SVD
Bhopal