The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has issued a stern warning: Dalit communities in the state will launch widespread protests if the government does not permanently remove the descriptor “Christian” from the official lists of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
During a press conference held on Monday, BJP district president Basavaraj Vibhutihalli highlighted that the term “Christian” has been mistakenly affixed to 44 Hindu castes. While the state government, facing significant backlash, has already removed 33 such “Christian” tags from dominant Hindu communities, the same designation remains for Scheduled Castes. Vibhutihalli emphasized that Dalit leaders are prepared to protest fiercely until this issue is resolved.
Vibhutihalli further criticized the state government for creating confusion by arbitrarily linking the term “Christian” with Hindu communities. He also pointed out that several critical questions surrounding the ongoing caste census still remain unanswered.
He specifically challenged the necessity of conducting a new caste census for Scheduled Castes, given that a similar extensive exercise, costing several crores of public funds, has already been completed.
Among those present at the press conference were Yadgir City Municipal Council Chairperson Lalita Anpur and various party workers, including Rachanagouda Mudnal, Nagarathna Kuppi, Mahesh Reddy Mudnal, Devendra Nath Nad, Siddanagouda Kadmnore, Guru Kama, Parashuran Kurkunda, Hanumanth Itagi, and Lingappa Hattimani.