Tribal dharna in Delhi is politically motivated, alleges All India Banjara Seva Sangh
HYDERABAD: The Banjaras are of the view that the Adivasi movement is politically motivated and they averred that it was not possible to remove Banjaras from the Schedules Castes now.
All India Banjara Seva Sangh national working president Amar Singh Tilwat said the demand of the tribals to exclude Banjaras is not genuine. The 1976 Act got the nod from the President. "The question of excluding Banjaras from STs does not arise now," he argued.
He said that if at all Adivasis felt that injustice was done to them, the government should constitute separate developmental corporations for each caste in STs. "Let the government create a Banjara development corporation, Gondu development corporation and so on, so that the funds will be equally distributed among all the castes," he said.
On the injustice to Adviasis in employment sector, including All India Service (AIS), Amar Singh said exclusion of Banjaras from STs was not the solution. "Let the government increase the reservations for STs and then all the sub-castes in STs will get rightful share in employment as per their population," he said.
He added, "Even if Adivasis feel that injustice was meted out to them, they should not insult Banajara jati." Right from panchayat to Assembly, all the political leaders of STs are moving together and there are no differences. He claimed that of the STs, 80 per cent population belongs to Banjaras, and only 20 per cent were Adivasis.
Some officials feel that the exclusion of Lambadas from ST is not possible. It remains to be seen how the State and Central governments will try to bring a permanent peace in the agency areas. Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao has already announced that he would personally tour all the agency districts along with chief secretary to resolve the Podu land problems. Rao’s tour to agency areas is yet to commence.