In 1947, Dr. Ambedkar, the Law Minister, appealed to Scheduled Caste people from United Pakistan (Pakistan and Bangladesh) not to convert to Islam and extended an invitation to them to come to India (Collected Works of Dr. Ambedkar, Vol-17, Page 366-368).
They came over the years, but the Indian government is still refusing citizenship rights to two crores of them.
Dr Ambedkar wrote: “I have received innumerable complaints from the Scheduled Castes from Pakistan and Hyderabad asking me to do something to relieve them from the distress in which they have been placed as a consequence of the policy adopted by Pakistan and Hyderabad towards them. In Pakistan, they are not allowed to come over to India and they are being forcibly converted to Islam. In Hyderabad also they are being forcibly converted to Islam in order to increase the strength of the Muslim population there. Further, there is a regular campaign carried on by the Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen by burning the houses of the Untouchables in order to strike terror into the hearts of the Scheduled Castes of Hyderabad so that they may never join the movement for responsible Government in Hyderabad and compelling Hyderabad to join the Indian Union.”
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