Even as the Governor of California Gavin Newsom vetoed a Bill on Saturday to ban caste discrimination, several Indian Americans and community organisations expressed their reactions to his action. The Bill, officially called the Senate Bill 403 or SB 403 and introduced by Democratic state Senator Aisha Wahab, was passed by the California state legislature to explicitly ban discrimination on the basis on caste. Had the Governor signed the Bill, California would have become the first ever US state to ban caste discrimination. Newsom vetoed the Bill citing existing laws that already prohibit ancestry discrimination, which made the Bill “unnecessary”.
Expressing his gratitude and appreciation, Indian American community leader and Democrat Ajay Bhutoria said in a press statement: “I am truly grateful to Governor Newsom for taking the time to consider the concerns we raised regarding the SB403 caste Bill. This legislation was undeniably redundant and unnecessary, and I am pleased that our discussions in Chicago bore fruit. The veto of this Bill is a testament to the power of constructive dialogue and collaboration.”
Bhutoria added that during a recent Democratic National Committee (DNC) event in Chicago, he had the opportunity to engage in a constructive conversation with Governor Newsom and to provide him with a comprehensive explanation of why vetoing the SB403 Caste Bill was the right course of action, elucidating the detrimental impact it could have on the community. “This significant decision demonstrates the Governor’s commitment to serving the best interests of the community,” he said in the statement.
Samir Kalra, managing director of Hindu American Foundation (HAF), an Indian American advocacy group with chapters across the United States, said in statement: “Today, we at the Hindu American Foundation join South Asians across California and the Hindu American community in offering our heartfelt appreciation to California Governor Newsom for his historically important veto of SB-403. This is a victory for the civil rights of all Californians.
“With the stroke of his pen, Governor Newsom has averted a civil rights and constitutional disaster that would have put a target on hundreds of thousands of Californians simply because of their ethnicity or their religious identity, as well as create a slippery slope of facially discriminatory laws. We thank Governor Newsom for listening to the thousands of voices that contacted his office and seeing that SB-403 was premised on racist rhetoric, a baseless lawsuit, egregious Civil Rights Department misconduct, false claims about the Hindu religion and South Asian community at large, and the self-serving, methodologically-flawed caste survey by Equality Labs.”
Equality Labs is a California based Dalit civil rights organisation dedicated to ending caste apartheid, gender-based violence, Islamophobia, White supremacy and religious intolerance.
Suhag Shukla, HAF executive director stated: “We at HAF have always said that any discrimination on the basis of ‘caste’ violates not only Hindu teachings, but also existing state and federal law. The fight over SB-403 has always been about the best solution for any intra-community discrimination, not whether such protections are needed.
“SB-403 forced our community to find its voice. The months spent educating the community about their rights, providing trainings and tools to effectively advocate as constituents, peacefully assembling in protest, offering testimonies at the Statehouse, writing countless letters to legislators and Governor Newsom, and meeting with numerous offices have all paid off. We’re grateful to Hindu Americans across the state who have shown tremendous resilience and to our allies for coming together like never before.”
In a press release Equality Labs said: “Today, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed SB403 “Discrimination on the basis of ancestry.” The landmark first-of-its-kind anti-caste discrimination Bill would have added “caste” as a protected characteristic under ancestry in California’s anti-discrimination laws. Though Newsom has rejected the legislation for now, the caste equity movement still views this as a win. SB403 is the first anti-caste discrimination Bill to have made it all the way through the California legislature. The Bill’s overwhelmingly positive trajectory is a manifestation of the enduring power of the intersectional organising of the California Coalition for Caste Equity which empowered hundreds of organisation intersectional grassroots organisers, civil rights leaders, legal scholars, Ravidassia community members, and workers’ rights groups from across California.”
Expressing his gratitude and appreciation, Indian American community leader and Democrat Ajay Bhutoria said in a press statement: “I am truly grateful to Governor Newsom for taking the time to consider the concerns we raised regarding the SB403 caste Bill. This legislation was undeniably redundant and unnecessary, and I am pleased that our discussions in Chicago bore fruit. The veto of this Bill is a testament to the power of constructive dialogue and collaboration.”
Bhutoria added that during a recent Democratic National Committee (DNC) event in Chicago, he had the opportunity to engage in a constructive conversation with Governor Newsom and to provide him with a comprehensive explanation of why vetoing the SB403 Caste Bill was the right course of action, elucidating the detrimental impact it could have on the community. “This significant decision demonstrates the Governor’s commitment to serving the best interests of the community,” he said in the statement.
Samir Kalra, managing director of Hindu American Foundation (HAF), an Indian American advocacy group with chapters across the United States, said in statement: “Today, we at the Hindu American Foundation join South Asians across California and the Hindu American community in offering our heartfelt appreciation to California Governor Newsom for his historically important veto of SB-403. This is a victory for the civil rights of all Californians.
“With the stroke of his pen, Governor Newsom has averted a civil rights and constitutional disaster that would have put a target on hundreds of thousands of Californians simply because of their ethnicity or their religious identity, as well as create a slippery slope of facially discriminatory laws. We thank Governor Newsom for listening to the thousands of voices that contacted his office and seeing that SB-403 was premised on racist rhetoric, a baseless lawsuit, egregious Civil Rights Department misconduct, false claims about the Hindu religion and South Asian community at large, and the self-serving, methodologically-flawed caste survey by Equality Labs.”
Equality Labs is a California based Dalit civil rights organisation dedicated to ending caste apartheid, gender-based violence, Islamophobia, White supremacy and religious intolerance.
Suhag Shukla, HAF executive director stated: “We at HAF have always said that any discrimination on the basis of ‘caste’ violates not only Hindu teachings, but also existing state and federal law. The fight over SB-403 has always been about the best solution for any intra-community discrimination, not whether such protections are needed.
“SB-403 forced our community to find its voice. The months spent educating the community about their rights, providing trainings and tools to effectively advocate as constituents, peacefully assembling in protest, offering testimonies at the Statehouse, writing countless letters to legislators and Governor Newsom, and meeting with numerous offices have all paid off. We’re grateful to Hindu Americans across the state who have shown tremendous resilience and to our allies for coming together like never before.”
In a press release Equality Labs said: “Today, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed SB403 “Discrimination on the basis of ancestry.” The landmark first-of-its-kind anti-caste discrimination Bill would have added “caste” as a protected characteristic under ancestry in California’s anti-discrimination laws. Though Newsom has rejected the legislation for now, the caste equity movement still views this as a win. SB403 is the first anti-caste discrimination Bill to have made it all the way through the California legislature. The Bill’s overwhelmingly positive trajectory is a manifestation of the enduring power of the intersectional organising of the California Coalition for Caste Equity which empowered hundreds of organisation intersectional grassroots organisers, civil rights leaders, legal scholars, Ravidassia community members, and workers’ rights groups from across California.”