It has been long speculated that the state of California in the USA might ban caste based discrimination. The legislature had already passed a bill back in August intended to ban any caste based discrimination in the state but the bill was waiting the Governor’s approval to become a law. Now in latest development, Governor Gavin Newson had vetoed the proposed bill ending all the speculations about the potential ban.
Governor Newson cited that the existing legislations already bans any kind of discrimination including caste and therefore the bill wasn’t necessary at all. If the the bill would have been approved, it would have classified caste as a protected group. Gavin Newson who is a democrat, has once again given a spotlight to the South Asian community in the US with his move.
The bill has been controversial ever since it was passed by the legislature. The Indian-American Hindu groups had opposed the bill from the beginning and were happy at the decision of the governor. On the other hand the anti-caste and minority rights groups were disappointed at it.
The chairman of Hindu American Foundation, Samir Kalra said that the governor has averted a constitutional disaster with his decision. There are around one million Indian Americans living in California on whom the bill would have been effective.
