Tamil Nadu – CM MK Stalin with a new move targeting Hindu religion, proposes reservation and benefits for converts to Islam

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has announced a controversial move aimed at encouraging religious conversion. Stalin stated that his government would consider providing reservations and benefits to individuals who convert to Islam.

Addressing the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister confirmed that reservations would be granted to backward classes and members of de-notified communities who embrace Islam.

De-Notified are all those communities which were once notified under the Criminal Tribes Acts, enforced by the British Raj between l87l and I947. These Acts were repealed by the Independent Bharat’s Government in l952, and these communities were “De-Notified”.

Responding to a query from MH Jawahirullah of the ruling party, Stalin expressed the state government’s intention to extend reservations to those who adopt Islam.

Stalin assured Jawahirullah that the government would make necessary decisions after consulting legal experts. This decision follows recent contentious remarks made by MK Stalin’s son and minister Udhayanidhi Stalin regarding Sanatan Dharma, prompting the government’s move to encourage religious conversion.

In 2023, the MK Stalin government had passed a resolution in the Tamil Nadu assembly, which stirred controversy by advocating for amendments to the constitution, including reservation for Scheduled Tribes who converted from Hinduism to Christianity, among other measures.