Hyderabad, March 24 Telangana BJP President N Ramchander Rao welcomed the Supreme Court's verdict on reservation for Scheduled Castes and constitutional rights for those who have converted to other religions on Tuesday.
In a statement, Rao hailed the apex court's decision to uphold a previous ruling by the Andhra Pradesh High Court, calling it a "historic victory for the spirit of the Constitution."
Rao emphasized that the SC reservations envisioned by Dr B R Ambedkar were specifically designed for the social upliftment of marginalized sections within the Hindu community.
The Supreme Court said on Tuesday that no person professing a religion other than Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism can be regarded as a member of a Scheduled Caste.
The BJP chief noted that the court has rightly clarified that claiming the same social status and benefits after conversion is unconstitutional.
He pointed out that for a long time, some individuals have been undergoing religious conversions while illegally retaining SC certificates to claim reservation quotas.
"This has caused grave injustice to genuine Dalit children. The Apex court's verdict will put an end to such irregularities and ensure justice for the truly eligible SC community," he said.
Taking a swipe at rival political parties, Rao remarked that the judgment serves as a "strong slap in the face" to those who encourage conversions and create confusion surrounding reservations solely for vote-bank politics.
Rao highlighted that numerous instances of individuals using SC certificates after conversion, to illegally obtain government benefits have been reported in Telangana.
He demanded that the state government "open its eyes" and strictly implement the Supreme Court’s verdict at the field level to protect the rights of eligible SCs.
Reaffirming the party's stance, he said, "It is the BJP's core ideology that constitutional benefits must reach the genuine beneficiaries and our struggle to protect the rights of Dalit brothers and sisters will continue relentlessly."