New Delhi, India - Hundreds of lower caste Muslims and Christian staged a protest in the national capital on Monday, seeking educational and job quota like their Hindu counterparts.
Protestors led by leaders of the Left parties raised slogans against the policies of the Central Government.
"Dalit Christian and Dalit Muslim should get all the benefits of reservation policy; this cannot be stopped further. Any Government in Delhi will have to accept this demand of the Dalits irrespective of the religious obligations. Dalits must get the benefits of the reservation policy," said D. Raja, National secretary of Communist Party of India (CPI).
Protestors said Dalits from every religion were entitled to get reservation in India from 1935 to 1950, but a Presidential order was passed in 1950 taking away the benefit to low-caste Hindus, who had converted to Christianity or Islam.
"We have demanded that according to the figures given in the Sachchar Committee report, the Dalits Muslims should get the benefits of the reservation in all the Governments policies," said Brinda Karat, CPI-M MP.
Several lowly Muslim and Christian organisations took part in the demonstration.
Under the government's existing affirmative action scheme, members of Dalit community as well as minority tribe members enjoy 22.5 per cent quotas in government employment and state-run educational institutions.
Indian constitution provides reservation to low-caste Hindus, but there are no criteria within the reservation system to treat lowly Christians and Muslims, who do not have castes within the community.