Pudukottai: CPI-M would demand an action taken report on the recommendations of the National Commission on Religious and Linguistic Minorities headed by Justice Ranganath Mishra, party General Secretary Prakash Karat has said.
Addressing a public meeting organised by `Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front` here last night, he said the Centre had not acted on the Commission`s report so far.
"Our party will be in touch other parties in this regard," he said.
Karat said an important recommendation of the commission was 15 percent reservation in education and jobs for socially, economically and educationally backward minorities.
It had also recommended that those of Scheduled Caste origin, irrespective of religion, be brought under Scheduled Caste reservation, Karat said.
He said the party had demanded that Dalit Christians and any person of Scheduled Caste origin, irrespective of religion, be given reservation.
The CPI-M leader said the various policies of the Centre, including privatisation, had limited opportunities for the SCs. "The government had downsized and banned recruitments. The SCs had scope only in government sector and now it was also gone," he said.
Karat said the opportunities for SCs would be reduced
in the education sector with the Government "promoting"
privatisation of higher education and allowing foreign
universities to function in the country.
Dalits should fight privatisation, liberalisation and
globalisation, he said, adding there was a need for a powerful
struggle to protect the rights of Dalits and other oppressed
sections.
Earlier, addressing the first state-level conference
of the Left Front, Karat said the struggle against caste
system should go along with struggle against socio-economic
and class exploitation.
PTI
