Santosh Helekar: I have enjoyed the discussions between Prof. Borges and others. What is especially rewarding to me is that they have relied on historical facts, common sense and reason. Driven by an unshakable bad habit, I have silently fact-checked all of the professor's assertions. It has been a fun experience for me. On the basis of this experience I have no doubt that he is on solid ground in making the statement that he has made below. Therefore, I cannot wait to read his response to the rhetorical question posed to him.
Response: Mine was not a rhetorical question but a well intentioned query in the pursuit of knowledge. I consider myself fairly well-read and well-informed. I am aware that Fr Jerome D'Souza s.j. from Mangalore was a member of the Constituent Assembly and was offered reserved seats in Parliament for the Christian community. But the christian representatives and Fr Jerome turned down the offer stating that the community did not need any reservations and would like to stand tall and shoulder-to-shoulder with other Indians. The Christians placed their hopes, aspirations and security in the hands of other Indians, especially the majority Hindu community. In a major concession, the founding fathers and framers of the Constitution, in their far-sightedness, large-heartedness, and broad-mindedness provided Articles 25 & 30 to protect and preserve the culture and religion of religious and linguistic minorities. Such was the spirit of the framers and founding fathers of our nation. Hence, Prof Sebastian Borges' statement on the issue of reservations to dalit christians comes as a total revelation to me as I have never ever come across any such literature / information. In case there has been a gap in my knowledge, I would like to fill it up and update myself. I earnestly look forward to Prof Borges to enlighten me on this issue. Regards, Marshall
