BJP, RSS conspiring to reduce tribal quota through delimitation, alleges Congress
The Congress on Sunday alleged that the BJP and RSS were conspiring to weaken tribal representation by seeking to reduce seats reserved for them in legislatures through delimitation, and vowed to oppose any such exercise based on the 2007-08 delimitation report.
Addressing the ‘Adivasi Ekta Mahajutan Rally’ at Ranchi’s Morabadi Ground, Jharkhand Congress in-charge K Raju said the party would stand with tribals in their fight to protect their political representation and rights over land, water and forests.
“The BJP tells ‘adivasis’ (tribals) they are forest dwellers, but our leader Rahul Gandhi clearly said you are ‘moolvasi ‘ and you have full rights over water, forest and land,” he said.
Raju claimed that Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, had told him to convey to the gathering that the proposed delimitation was a “BJP conspiracy” aimed at reducing tribal seats in the Lok Sabha and State assemblies.
All India Adivasi Congress chairman Vikrant Bhuria said the party was protesting against any move to reduce tribal representation through delimitation.
“The BJP is trying to reduce our seats of representation during delimitation. We have come to protest against that through this rally,” Bhuria said.
He said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had demanded that delimitation be postponed for another 25 years so that tribal representation reflected their future population and reservation.
“All of you should always remember, as many seats as we have, that much will be our strength. They are going to reduce our power to contest elections,” he claimed.
Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat alleged that tribals had borne the brunt of displacement caused by mining, industries, large projects and dams.
“Tribal land is being snatched. Now, the BJP and RSS are conspiring to silence the tribals by reducing their seats in the name of delimitation. But they will never succeed in this land of Birsa Munda. Adivasi seats will not decrease; their voice will not be suppressed,” he said.
Former state minister Bandhu Tirkey said the Congress would oppose any delimitation exercise based on the 2007-08 report.
“The BJP and the RSS want to reduce our seats. But we want to make it clear that if they carry out the delimitation exercise based on the 2007-08 report, we will not tolerate it. The tribals are ready to fight for their rights,” he said.
Tirkey also alleged that the proposed delimitation could weaken constitutional safeguards under the Fifth Schedule and provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, or PESA.
The Centre had accepted the Delimitation Commission’s report on February 14, 2008, but the exercise was deferred in Jharkhand, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh until 2026 following a subsequent amendment.
