Thread by @HappySi79054951

Good point.

Dalit Christians & Dalit Muslims

Muslims in India get reservations only under two categories.

1. ST (Scheduled Tribe)

Gujjar & Bakarwal tribal community, Muslim "Van Gujjars" of Himachal, Ladakhi Shia Muslims of Kargil, Muslim tribes of Lakshadweep etc.

https://twitter.com/karupatikoffee/status/1405791538093781001

2. OBC

Other Backward Classes.

Bulk of Pasmanda Muslims from former Shudra occupational castes like Darzi, Julaha, Hajjam etc. get reservations under this category.

This is however NOT directly CASTE based but is CLASS based.

Because Baba Sahab made CLASS, (social, economic and educational) a criteria, Muslim Shudra CASTES could be added as poor "class" & not "caste".

Other wise jealous Upper Caste Ashrafi Muslims like Syed, Pathans, Rajput were opposing ANY RESERVATION to ANY MUSLIM based on CASTE.

Upper Caste Ashrafi Muslims opposed reservations to Shudra CASTE Muslims saying that there is "no CASTE in Islam". Therefore to overcome this Baba Sahab added CLASS, which Ashrafi upper caste Muslims couldn't oppose. They have remained jealous of Pasmanda Muslims ever since.

But problem remained of Dalit Muslim from manual scavenging communities (Valmiki) and those dealing with animal skin hide (Jatav). While there weren't many conversations from Jatav to Islam, there were conversations from "bhangi" castes to Islam.

The so called "Bhangi" Muslims who should have gotten status of SC or Scheduled Caste Could not get one under SC because SC is based on caste and since "there is no CASTE in Islam" "Bhangi Muslims" could not be accomodated as SC. Ashrafi Muslims also oppose that.

In many states, so called "Bhangi Muslims" also called "Arzals" are accomodated as OBCs like Lal Begi, Halal Khor etc. in Bihar, WB.

In Kashmir Valley interestingly Kashmiri Muslim Bhangi, locally called "Wattals" are given reservations as OSC ("Other Social Class").

As far as Christians are concerned

Indian Christians get reservations only under one category and that is
STor Scheduled Tribe

Accordingly Catholic Christian tribes of Meghalaya and Jharkhand / Chattishgarh and Protestant Christian tribes of Nagaland & Mizoram fall under this

Dalit Christians, who form 60% of the population of India's 20 million Christian population get NO RESERVATIONS at all.

They demand reservations under SC category, since they converted from Dalit CASTES, but Upper Caste Christians lobby and clergy has been opposing this.

The argument of Upper Caste Christians (Syrian Christian of Kerela, Goa's Brahmin Christians etc.) is the same - "there is no CASTE in Christianity", therefore "SC Christian cannot exist".

Some states like Karnataka have extended reservations to limited no. of Dalit Christians under OBC category but large chunk of Dalit Christians, especially Tamil Nadu's over 60 Lakh Dalit Christians have no reservations and no representation even in higher Christian clergy.

Incidentally, Sikh Dalits and Buddhist Dalits also did not receive benefits of reservations automatically, which was extended only to Hindu Dalits till Sikh and Buddhist Dalits fought for reservations in courts.

Sikh Dalits got reservations under SC category in 1956 and Buddhist Dalits got reservations under SC category much later in 1990.