SRIKAKULAM: Comments made by Assembly Speaker Ch Ayyanna Patrudu regarding the 1/70 Act have sparked strong reactions from the tribal community in North Andhra and other parts of the State.
In response to the protests, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu took to X to highlight the initiatives taken by the TDP government to improve the lives of tribals, including promoting agency products. He pointed out that GO MS No-3 was implemented by the TDP government in undivided Andhra Pradesh and criticised the previous YSRCP government for creating legal obstacles to its full implementation. The CM reiterated that the government had no intention of amending the 1/70 Act, which he said was crucial for protecting the assets of tribes in the agency area, and urged the tribal community not to believe in rumours surrounding the Act.
Earlier in the day, tribal organisations have called for a two-day bandh, starting Tuesday, to protest the Speaker’s remarks. The CPM, New Democracy, and All India Rythu Kooli Sangham (AIKS) expressed solidarity with the protest and participated on the first day. The groups also demanded that the State government file a case against the Speaker for his “irresponsible” comments.
Leaders of Adivasi Samkshema Parishad (ASP) lodged a complaint with the Jaddangi police in Rajavommangi, Alluri Sitarama Raju district. Meanwhile, in Parvathipuram Manyam district, tribal union leaders organised a bike rally in Parvathipuram town.
The protesters demanded the strict implementation of GO MS No-3, which mandates the recruitment of posts in agency areas be reserved for tribes. They also raised concerns about the failure to merge villages into the 5th Schedule of the Constitution, which they said was damaging tribal interests. There were suspicions that corporate interests were behind the Speaker’s remarks, with fears that it could be part of a move to transfer agency wealth to corporations.
The 1/70 Act is designed to protect the land rights of tribals in agency areas by prohibiting transactions involving lands in these regions. Tribal leaders expressed concern that, if the Act is amended, tribes will lose their land, jeopardising their financial security and livelihoods.
In the Srikakulam agency, various tribal unions organised protests across multiple villages, including Meliaputti, Pathapatnam, Mandasa, and Palasa. They stressed that the agency area falls under the 5th Schedule of the Constitution, and the state government has no authority to violate its provisions. They accused corporate entities of encroaching on agency lands under the guise of development and tourism, in violation of the 1/70 Act.