UK ANNOUNCES CONSULTATION OF CASTE DISCRIMINATION LEGISLATION

TORY MINISTER BACKS OFF PLEDGE
TO END CASTE DISCRIMINATION

www.independent.co.uk - Landmark legislation to ban caste discrimination in Britain is being deliberately thwarted by the Conservative equalities ministers in charge of getting it on the statute book, a leaked document indicates. Discrimination on the basis of caste was outlawed in April as part of the Equality Act, after Business Secretary Vince Cable secured a last-minute amendment. 
The Act was supposed to mean the estimated 400,000 Dalits - so-called untouchables - who live in the UK would have legal protection from discrimination by other Hindus. The issue of caste discrimination divided the Coalition, with Liberal Democrats supporting the addition to the legislation and Conservatives opposed.

Equalities minister Helen Grant in a letter to the Hindu groups opposed to the legislation urges them to submit evidence against the law to an ongoing consultation “as we remain convinced” legislation is unnecessary. Liberal Democrat Lord Avebury said: “It's entirely improper that the minister who's supposed to be implementing the legislation - and initiating the consultation - is making it clear she's opposed to the whole process.” 
Meena Varma, director of the Dalit Solidarity Network UK, said: “Until this legislation is passed, the thousands of Dalits who say they are discriminated against will have no recourse to justice. Grant's tactic seems to be to kick the whole thing into the long grass until five years have passed and the Government can scrap the legislation.”

The UK Government has just published their long anticipated timetable for its consultation and implementation of caste discrimination legislation under Equality Act 2010. Hinduism - Sanatana Dharma - is like a Banyan tree which gives shade to all. Birth-based discrimination and heartless treatment of individuals and group of people which was developed in Hindu society with the passage of time as socially sanctioned practices, are in grievous violation of old Vedic teachings and philosophy. There are professional inclinations and innate tendencies, but Scripture does not support the caste system by birth. The Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya within the broad Hindu family of faiths, unequivocally opposes a birth-based caste system, and strongly condemns the use of such a system to discriminate against any person or group, and firmly believe that no one should be denied any kind of opportunity on the basis of his or her birth or caste or race. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Real advanced persons will never complicate their minds with social and caste distinction. This is merely a system people get attached to who have no qualifications, but want to claim a superior position over others in the name of birth. What is the use of having a big prestigious name when your qualities don’t support it? Those who are truly self-realized will never submit to this false claim, but rather defy and challenge those people who are trying to create trouble in society by this type of caste consciousness. ... Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur was responding to a challenge of the smarta-brahmanas regarding how somebody can become a brahmana. ... He cited all the qualifications and all the quotes from the scriptures to prove it. Then all of them understood they had been very expertly defeated and realized that what they had believed about things like caste distinction and birth rights was not true.

Śrīla Bhakti Aloka Paramadvaiti Mahārāja :
“Sato Vritteh”
(Following in the Footsteps of Previous Acaryas)
“Qualifications for Mercy”
http://vrinda.vaisnava.hu/officebap/satto-english.pdf
http://www.vedic-wisdom.org/

Published by dasavatara das - “Vedic Views on World News”
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/