MP: Hindu weavers in West UP being denied SC rights

Lucknow: Speaking in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, BJP MP Brij Lal raised the issue of the alleged denial of Scheduled Caste (SC) certificates to ‘Hindu Julaha Kori' community in western UP, particularly in the Meerut and Saharanpur divisions.Calling it a matter of social justice and administrative inconsistency, Lal said the Kori/Koli community, who are traditionally weavers, traces its roots to the ancient Koliyan lineage. "Hindu Julaha is not a caste but a profession and therefore eligible individuals should not be excluded from SC benefits," said Lal, who was UP DGP during the Mayawati govt. The MP said that prior to July 24, 1977, the Kori community in most parts of UP was recognised as SC except in regions such as Rohilkhand, Agra, and Meerut divisions where it was categorised as OBC. However, a Govt of India decision in 1977 granted SC status to the Kori community across the entire state.Despite this, Lal claimed, the community is deprived of its SC status in Meerut and Saharanpur divisions due to administrative anomalies. He urged govt to take immediate steps to address the issue.The MP said Koliyan clan had historical links to the Buddha era. He said that King Anjan of the Koliyan lineage, considered as Buddha's maternal grandfather, played a key role in promoting weaving as a traditional occupation.Referring to accounts from the Mughal period, Lal claimed that during Aurangzeb's reign members of the Kori community were allegedly compelled to convert to Islam to continue their weaving profession. Those who converted came to be known as ‘Julahas' or ‘Ansaris', while those who remained Hindu gradually lost their traditional occupation and economic base.Lal thanked Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murty for raising the issue of Lord Buddha's relics. He recalled that the relics, excavated in 1898 from Piprahwa by British landowner William C Peppe, were proposed to be auctioned in Hong Kong in May 2025. Lal said he wrote to the PM urging his intervention to stop the auction and received a positive response. He credited the PM's efforts for ensuring that the sacred relics were brought back to India, adding that his intervention in the matter was also reported twice by The Times of India.