Santosh in his usual style has indulged in a lot of politically loaded polemics (without any substance) that would put many a seasoned politician to shame. Disregarding the same, I would prefer to focus on the main points raised by me which he has been unable to explain.
1. Why were christians and other minorities excluded from the Treaty of 1974? 2. why did it take 37 long years to rectify the error when representations were made in the past to the govt by the affected parties ? 3. Were christians and buddhists included now by an amendment to the Treaty or by mere changes in the classification by the Indian govt? 4. Why are dalit christians and muslims denied benefits available to dalits of hindu, sikh and buddhist religions despite the recommendations of the Ranganath Mishra Commission which was instituted by the Govt of India itself. For those not familiar with the recommendations,here are some weblinks (see pg 144): http://www.mfsd.org/mishrareport/NCRLM%201E.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mishra_Commission If Santosh is serious in engaging in a healthy debate rather than indulging in polemics, I would be interested in knowing his views whether it is proper for citizens to be discriminated against on the basis of religion in a secular country. Regards, Marshall