MPs stall Rajya Sabha, support Dalit Christians on quota

Within a week after Church leaders and parliamentarians hashed over the reservation quota of Dalit Christians and Muslims, several MPs on Tuesday demanded the tabling of Ranganath Misra Commission, leading to the Rajya Sabha being adjourned twice.

MPs Ali Anwar Ansari and Sabir Ali of the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and Aziz Pasha and P. Madhu of the Communist Party of India (CPI) advanced to the speaker's podium during the Zero Hour, insisting the tabling of Misra's report which calls for extending SC status to all Dalits irrespective of religion.

The MPs created an uproar following an unsatisfactory response from the Deputy Chairman K Rehman who later sought an immediate clarification from Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid.

Khurshid apparently told the Rajya Sabha that the matter was under consideration and it would be soon brought for discussion in the parliament.

Among other politicos who called for the tabling of the report were Brinda Karat and A Vijayaraghavan from the Communist Party of India-Marxist.

"It is a matter of concern for the minority community. Already the Minister of Minority Affairs has gone to the television channel and announced that he is going to implement the Ranganath Mishra Commission Report," said MP Vijayaraghavan who wondered why Minister Khurshid was not raising the report in the Parliament.

He later demanded Khurshid to "assure the House when they are going to lay the report on the table of the House."

In response, Khurshid said, "the matter is before the High Court. So, it is sub judice."

He added: "As soon as the Government takes a decision, we will bring it before the House. There is no question of not tabling the report."

Last week, church leaders and parliamentarians met at the Constitution Club in New Delhi to mull over the next plan of action in the long-pending case of Dalit Christians and Muslims. MPs Ali Anwar and JD Seelam had promised to raise the issue in the parliament and undo the historical error.

Both the MPs had also participated in a rally organised by the Church in November at Jantar Mantar. After the rally, a memorandum was submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Law Minister Veerappa Moily and Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid.

One of the two demands in the memorandum was tabling the Ranganath Misra Commission report.