ADILABAD: A couple of Adivasi organisations, including the Adivasi Hakulla Porata Samithi, are opposed to the Congress party’s Dalit Girijan Dandora on August 9, which is celebrated as World Adivasi Day. The community people celebrate the day every year like a festival with cultural programmes and are opposed to the idea of politicians hijacking the day, said the Samithi leaders. They demanded that the Congress leadership make their stand clear on the Lambada issue, because the Congress itself merged Lambadas into the ST category in 1976.
Adivasi Hakulla Porata Samithi district president Godam Ganesh said PCC president A Revanth Reddy’s claim that Lambadas also fought, along with the Adivasis, for their right, was wrong. He said that tribal leader Komrambheem fought for the Jal, Jungle and Jameen, and many sacrificed their lives in Indervelli and Jodeghat for the cause. The Lambadas never participated in the agitation, he added. He said that they were not opposed to any political party meetings but they were against any political gimmicks on the World Adivasi Day.
Mulugu MLA Seethakka who visited Indervelli to check the works going on for the upcoming Dalit and Girijan Dandora, said that the programme was not against the Adivasis. “Farmers cultivating podu land are not being given pattadar passbooks. During the Congress regime, lands and pattas were given to Adivasis, however, the pink party is busy grabbing the lands under the guise of various programmes,” the legislator added.