www.jainworld.com                                                                                                                                              www.jainworld.com

REACTIONS & POLITICS IN MINORITY STATUS FOR JAINS
The Sheila Dikshit government accorded minority status to the Jain community in Delhi a move being seen as timed for the Assembly elections, just five months away. The Jains, primarily a business and traders’ community, have been demanding the status for the past several years. In Delhi, the community is known to have largely backed the Bharatiya Janata Party till date.

Commenting on the issue, Chakresh Jain, head of the Delhi Jain Samaj said that we had been demanding the minority status for the past several years but the government had been ignoring our demands.   Congress MLA Rajesh Jain, the community’s sole representative in Delhi Assembly, said this is not a political move.  Delhi BJP president Harsh Vardhan questioned the timing of the decision — just before the Assembly elections, scheduled for November and questioned what was the Sheila Dikshit government doing for the past 10 years?

Reactions within the community to this decision, however, were mixed. A section was not comfortable being labelled a minority, especially since most Jains are well-to-do and did not really need the privileges that come with minority status.     Fashion Designer Madhu Jain - Most Jains are really affluent - some of them are leading industrialists and businessmen in the country.  My husband was the MP from Chandni Chowk. His grandfather was one of the biggest businessmen in the locality in his time. For people like us, it won't really make a difference. It feels strange to be labelled as a minority. Minority status should be given to people who are not affluent and who need the privileges that come with it. This seems to be a purely political move before the elections. Politics makes strange bedfellows. Priyank Jain, a business analyst who also holds a degree in chemical engineering, says reservation on the basis of caste or religion should not be encouraged. If one really wants to help society, there should be free education for all. It doesn't mean you get through even if you don't clear the exams just because you belong to a minority. S K Jain a Jain Scholar says, with reservation possibilities in institutions, we can provide jobs for our own community and support them better. It will also help us spread the Jain ideals of non-violence, vegetarianism and helping people.