Lok Satta president Jayaprakash Narayan opposed the move saying the Supreme Court had passed orders opposing such a status to converts. He said the move would hit the interests of SCs as the existing 15 percent reservation would have to be divided between SCs and Dalit Christians.

BJP leader Kishan Reddy opposed the move saying this would lure SCs to convert to Christianity and promote missionary activities.

Christian leaders in the state have welcomed the resolution. They said an amendment to the Constitutional Order of 1950 would be sufficient to meet their long pending demand.

Father Anthoni Raj Thumma, executive secretary of the AP Federation of Churches, said the Constitutional order was amended twice in the past to extend SC status benefits to Dalit Sikhs and Dalit Buddhists.