Chennai: Scheduled Caste members who have converted to Islam will be considered for reservation benefits on par with their Hindu counterparts, said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on the floor of the State Assembly.

Stalin was responding to a question raised by Prof M.H. Jawaharullah, MLA and head of MMK party. Jawahirullah had flagged the denial of reservation to the members of the most backward communities including Scheduled Caste who have converted to Islam.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said that the state government would consult legal experts and then consider the request to extend reservation to the backward communities who have converted to Islam. He emphasized the government's commitment to safeguarding the interests of all such backward social groups describing it as paramount.

The Chief Minister said the DMK government would consider the request to uplift the social, economic, and educational status of the Muslim backward communities on lines of the measures it has taken for the ‘Adi Dravidar,’ ‘Backward Class,’ ‘Most Backward Class’ and ‘denotified communities.’

The Chief Minister's response indicates a positive approach by the DMK government to address the issue and ensure equitable opportunities for all marginalized sections of the society and to protect their interests.

Earlier talking on this subject, M.H. Jawahirullah said that those who have converted to Islam are put in the ‘Others’ category for government jobs in the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission, whereas there is no such restriction for the converted Christians even after their conversion.

The MMK Leader cited several judgments of the High Court and the Supreme Court on the converted Muslim’s status that says that there is no change of their status even after their conversion and they remain at the bottom of the economic ladder.

Here the example of Indian Punjab’s folk singer Mohammad Sadiq, can be cited who in 2016 had won the Faridkot (reserved) Lok Sabha election constituency and triggered a debate on denial of reservation benefits to those who had converted to another faith.

Sadiq’s electoral victory was quashed by the Punjab & Haryana High Court on the ground that he is a Muslim and thus does not belong to a Scheduled Caste. However, the case of Mohammad Sadiq has some interesting layers.

Sadiq belonged to the ‘Dom’ Scheduled Caste community but grew up in a Muslim family and adopted the Islamic faith. When his fortune as a folk singer gained prominence, he converted to Sikhism in 2006 and continued to retain his Muslim name.

Mohammad Sadiq argued that he is now a Sikh and constitutionally, Sikhs are part of the Hindu faith, so he is entitled to reservation benefits of contesting a SC reserved constituency.

The Supreme Court, hearing Sadiq’s appeal overturned the HC judgment of April 29, 2016. The Supreme Court in its observation said that “a person can change his religion but he cannot change his caste because caste is linked to his birth and cannot be changed.”

The Supreme Court judgment has far-reaching consequences on those who are being discriminated for converting to other faiths, and are excluded from the social justice agenda.

Now the readiness of the DMK government to consider extending reservation to those who have converted to Islam from the Scheduled Castes is expected to spark a national debate on the inclusion of converted communities in reservation policies.

The central government has repeatedly refused to give the benefits of reservation to those who have converted to Abrahamic faiths, saying that reservations are only for the Hindus.

The blocking of greater social inclusion and equality in the country by the central government has been resisted by several state governments who oppose the vision of social exclusion of the communities who have converted to other faiths.

The is a new tussle between the votaries of social inclusiveness and those who vouch for an exclusive Hindu society, pushing out the ‘others’ from the development paradigm of India.

— Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be reached at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com