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 Hundreds of Dalits took part in a rally organised by All India Christian Council (aicc) and the All India Confederation of Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Organisations in New Delhi on 11 December 2006 to demand the benefits of reservation for Dalit Christians.
Aicc called upon the Central Government to ensure that development schemes for religious minorities did not bypass Dalit Christians merely because they did not form a vote bank and were not as politically powerful as the others. All India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations chairman Udit Raj said a large number of Hindu and Buddhist Dalits took part in the rally to show their solidarity with their Christian brothers and sisters. He said it belied the allegations made by certain sections that Hindu Dalits were opposed to the inclusion of Christians in the Scheduled Caste list. Led by Udit Raj and aicc president Dr Joseph D’Souza, the gathering passed a resolution demanding an end to all anti-Christian regulations, particularly in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh where the Governments were functioning in a manner that violated Constitutional provisions safeguarding minority rights. The speakers said even as the Government guaranteed the security of the minorities, instances of violence against Dalit Christians were on the rise in States like Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. On the economic, educational and development fronts, the aicc leadership demanded that the facilities like bank loans, land rights and other benefits and participation in Panchayati Raj be extended to the community.
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