California senate panel passes Bill to end caste discrimination

New Delhi, April 26

The California Senate Judiciary Committee has unanimously voted to move an anti-caste discrimination bill forward to the Senate. This is for the first time that a US State legislature would consider legislation on caste.

The move has set off a firestorm in the politically active sections of the Indian-origin community in the US. “Today, I proudly stand in solidarity with my caste-oppressed community members, caste equity movement organisers, and allies to say that caste-oppressed Californians are now one step closer to attaining the protections they deserve and are entitled to,” said Thenmozhi Soundararajan of Equity Labs, which was the force behind the anti-caste discrimination campaign in the US.

‘One step closer to attaining rights’

Today, I proudly stand with my allies to say that caste-oppressed Californians are now one step closer to attaining the rights they deserve.

Thenmozhi Soundararajan, rights activist

She said the bill was a result of 15 years struggle of the caste-oppressed people.

But there is strong opposition from Indian-American business and temple organisations. “This bill is misguided and will promote prejudice against all Indian-American businesspersons including shop owners who form the backbone of California’s economy in these challenging economic times,” said Vipul Patelwho, Asian American Shop Owners’ Association head. “We fear that this bill, if passed, will encourage frivolous lawsuits against small businesses, causing many of them to go out of market,” he added. Hindu Mandir Executives Conference, the Hindu Business Network and the Hindu Policy Research and Advocacy Collective also criticised the bill.

If passed, the bill could make caste bias in California illegal by adding it as a protected category in the state’s anti-discrimination laws.

Tejal Shah, convenor of the Hindu Mandir Executives’ Conference (HMEC), said the organisations and individuals behind the bill have made their disdain for Hindu customs and traditions very clear.

“Common Hindu greeting ‘Namaskar’ (‘I bow to the divinity within you’), traditional Hindu practices such as classical dance, music, and sacred festivals such as Diwali and Holi have been vilified. Passage of SB 403 will legitimise this assault on the freedom of religions and make Hindu temples more vulnerable to physical attacks,” Shah said.

Equality Labs had also led the campaign that led to Seattle becoming the first American city to outlaw caste discrimination in February. The resolution was moved by Kshama Sawant and approved by the Seattle City Council by six to one. In California, State Senator Aisha Wahab, the first Muslim and Afghan American elected to the state legislature, introduced the bill last month.