UK Dalit groups mobilise over caste law delay

Dalit groups in the UK are mobilising forces once again to protest against the Cameron government's move to delay the implementation of an anti-caste legislation by two years, affecting at least 400,000 people in the country.
The British Parliament had voted for caste-based discrimination to be outlawed within an amendment to the Equality Act 2010 in April this year, marking a major victory for rights campaigners who had fought a protracted battle for a change in the law.
However, it emerged this week that Prime Minister David Cameron government's consultation and legislative process to implement the amendment could take as long as mid-2015.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), in charge of equality issues, announced that employers, public authorities and the judiciary would need to be involved in the discussions before such a change takes place.
"This is utterly disappointing and a sheer disregard of the British Parliament. It indicates that the government has no intention of putting into practise what the Parliament has already cleared," said Davinder Prasad, general secretary of Caste Watch UK, one of the groups leading the campaign in favour of legislative action over caste discrimination in Britain.
"We are now mobilising once again and working on an action plan to put pressure on the government. There is a lot of anger within the community because the government has a duty of care towards the 400,000 potential victims of caste discrimination," he added.

The issue has been an extremely divisive one, leading to lengthy parliamentary debates and a split within the Hindu groups in the UK.

The Alliance of Hindu Organisations (AHO) had been leading a counter-campaign against the legislation on the basis that the caste system is an issue that the "Hindu community would very much like to move beyond".
It has now expressed delight that the government has paid heed to the views of "the majority British Hindu community" and allowed a full period of consultation.
"There are many issues of concern over this legislation and a proper period is needed to ensure that these issues are fully addressed," said a spokesperson.

The latest two-year timeline suggests the legislation is unlikely to be in place before for the next general election in Britain, leading some to accuse the Conservative-led coalition of trying to push the issue off the agenda.