MP Christians oppose move to deny benefits

(March 18, 2011) Christians in central India’s Madhya Pradesh state are opposing the state government’s plan to remove them from the list of groups that enjoy special government benefits. The state’s Backward Class Commission had earlier announced it would de-list Christians from groups listed as Other Backward Class (OBC) and sought the community’s views on the matter at a meeting in the state capital Bhopal on Wednesday. Father Anand Muttungal, spokesperson of the Catholic Church in the state denounced the plan as “totally unjustified,” alleging some “ulterior motives” behind it. The Indian government has classified some disadvantaged citizens as Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Class, to grant them certain privileges such as reservations in government jobs and educational institutions for socioeconomic uplift. However, only the former untouchable castes in Buddhist, Hindu and Sikh religions can claim the benefits for Scheduled Caste. Some states such as Madhya Pradesh provide these benefits to Christians and Muslims of former low caste origin under the OBC category.