Orissa: Catholics demand SC status to Dalit Christians

Catholics in the capital Demanding attention to the violence in Orissa, Catholics in the capital, asked the government to immediately grant the pending demand of Scheduled Caste status for Dalit Christians.

"I hope you did not mind that one or the other member of the delegation (from Orissa) frustrated as they were seeing the condition of Christians expressed rather strongly that they were not too happy with the Congress, to which they have had their allegiance to," Archbishop of Delhi Vincent M Concessao said in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

"They did express that since the Christians do not make for a good vote bank, their demands and concerns such as Dalit Christian issue are not the priority of the government ... I hope that the long standing demand of Dalit Christians be granted Dalit status will be looked into seriously," Concessao said.

The Archbishop was indeed happy that the Prime Minister promised the government was committed to protect the right of all abiding–citizens of the country.

On December 30, a Christian delegation from Bhubaneshwar met with Dr Singh, to alert him of the attacks on churches in Orissa.