New Delhi: The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has rejected the minority status demand by Vedic Brahmins, Sindhis and Codavas, saying it will lead to 'fragmentation' of the Hindu community.
The NCM’s view is part of its Annual Report 2016-17, which yet to be tabled in Parliament.
“Vedic Brahmins are part and parcel of the Hindu religion. Merely claiming that Vedic Brahmins are only a select few does not warrant a view that they should be declared as a minority community by the government of India,” the NCM says in the report, a copy of which is with News18.com.
The report was overseen by two different NCM chiefs. First by Naseem Ahmad and then by his successor Ghayorul Hasan Rizvi.
The reply is directed at the Ministry of Minority Affairs which had sent a reference on the matter to the Commission. After a detailed discussion, the Commission resolved to send its comments to the government.
The request for minority status was made by the World Brahman Organisation and Purbouttar Bahubhashiya Brahmin Mahasabha, and presented to the Ministry of Minority Affairs. The ministry sent it to the NCM for deliberations.
As per the NCM Act 1992, the term ‘minority’ means a community notified as such by the central government. Therefore, the central government may decide the representations at their level in light of the above comments of the NCM.
The document further highlights: “Vedic Brahmins’ claim that they are committed to protect their tradition and culture, does not add any further weight to their claim for minority status. The fact that UNESCO has urged to protect the Vedas and Vedic culture is also not supporting their case to declare them as separate minority community.”
“If the request is agreed to by the government of India, other castes of Hindus like Rajputs, Vaishyas, would also claim a similar which would result in manifold and unwarranted fragmentation of Hindu community,” said the NCM report.
Referring to the minority status demand by the Sindhis, the NCM observed: “They are basing their claim primarily on the ground that they are a linguistic minority. It is not their case that Sindhis living in different parts of the country are not part of the Hindu religion. Moreover, the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992 deals only with religious minorities. Therefore, the Commission found no merit in the claim for being declared as a minority community.”
The members of the Commission did not agree with the demands of Codava race either. “These demands would lead to unwarranted fragmentation of the Hindu community,” said the report.
The commission cited the Supreme Court case of 2005 Bal Patil Vs Union of India and others. In that case, the SC observed that, “The country has already been reorganised in the year 1956 under the States Reorganization Act on the basis of language. A differential treatment to linguistic minorities based on language within the state is understandable but if the same concept of minorities on the basis of religion is encouraged the whole country, which is already under class and social conflicts due to various divisive forces will further face division on the basis of religious diversities.”
“Such claims for minority status based on religion would increase in the fond of hope various sections of people getting special protections, privileges and treatment as part of constitutional guarantee. Encouragement to such fissiparous tendencies would be a serious jolt to the secular structure of constitutional democracy. We should guard against making our country a theocratic state based on multi nationalism,” the court had observed.
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