Following reports of DMK’s newly-elected Chennai Mayor Priya Rajan being a Christian, a complaint has been filed against her for allegedly misusing her scheduled caste status for political benefit.
R Priya was recently sworn in as the Mayor of Chennai, a post that had been reserved by the DMK government for a women belonging to the Scheduled Caste.
However, Priya’s claims of being a Dalit is being disputed from several quarters as she is alleged to be a Christian. It became all the more controversial when Union of Catholic Asian News (UCA News) published an article in which it stated that she is said to be a member of the Evangelical Church of India (ECI). The news outlet’s Twitter handle had also tweeted the article with the caption that Priya Rajan is a ‘Dalit Christian’.
After Priya’s victory, several social media posts have also added weight to the claims of she being a Christian.
The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order 1950 states that any person who professes a religion different from Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism shall cease to be a member of the Scheduled Caste (SC).
In February 2021, former Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in response to a question in the Rajya Sabha said that as per the Constitution of India and Indian statute, Hindu persons eligible for reservation benefits, like those belonging to Scheduled Castes, cannot avail the same benefits if they convert to Christianity or Islam.
In light of this, SC ST Rights Forum, a legal activism organization working for the welfare of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes has written to the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary to order an inquiry by the District Level Scrutiny Committee and take necessary action.
The complaint letter noted that Priya Rajan is misusing the reservation and constitutional benefits meant for the welfare of the people of weaker sections of this society.
The SC ST Rights Forum has also written to National Commission for Scheduled Caste to take action against Priya Rajan.
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