Kochi: The Catholic Congress Global Committee has appealed to the Union Government to amend the Constitution and formally recognize smaller religious communities including Christians as micro-minorities. The organization has submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju pressing for urgent action.
The memorandum highlights that, of the six notified religious minorities in India, five Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Parsis together make up less than 2.5 percent of the national population. Despite their limited numbers, these groups, the Congress argued, are often overshadowed in welfare schemes that have come to be dominated by a single minority community.
“Today, the idea of minority protection has been distorted. One group alone receives the lion’s share of welfare benefits, while the smaller communities are left neglected. This is not only unjust but also a violation of the spirit of the Constitution,” the statement read.
The Catholic Congress maintained that the concept of micro-minority status would ensure targeted safeguards for communities with very small populations, thereby guaranteeing equal access to government welfare schemes and protection of cultural identity.
At the meeting held in Kochi, President Prof. Rajeev Kochuparampil presided over the proceedings, while Director Rev. Dr. Philip Kaviyil, General Secretary Dr. Josekutty Okhayil, and Treasurer Adv. Tony Punchakunnel addressed the gathering. Speakers criticized what they described as political indifference and vote-bank calculations that systematically ignore smaller minority groups.
The Catholic Congress has vowed to intensify its campaign at both national and state levels, stressing that the recognition of micro-minorities is essential for protecting the rights and dignity of India’s smaller religious communities.