KHAMMAM: The Tribal Joint Action Committee, under the banner of “Dharma Yuddham,” organised a massive rally and public meeting on Sunday at the Junior College grounds in Bhadrachalam, demanding the removal of Lambadas from the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list.
The turnout exceeded expectations, with thousands of tribals from nine sub-castes across the two Telugu states packing the venue. The programme began with traditional tribal dances, followed by a large rally from the Bridge Centre to the Junior College grounds. Participants also garlanded the statue of Komaram Bheem before the meeting commenced.
Anticipating the scale of the mobilisation, the Bhadradri police deployed hundreds of personnel and made elaborate security arrangements to prevent any untoward incidents.
Leaders of tribal groups, including former MLAs, addressed the gathering. They demanded that Banjara, Lambada, and Sugali communities — currently categorised as STs — be removed from the list, arguing that they are not “true tribals.” They claimed these communities were recognised as STs only after 1976 in the undivided Andhra Pradesh, despite earlier being listed as Backward Classes (BCs).
The leaders alleged that Lambadas and Sugalies migrated from other states into Telangana, thereby denying genuine tribals their rightful opportunities.
They pointed out that while these groups were recognised as STs in the Madras Presidency region (which included Andhra), they were not given that status in the erstwhile Hyderabad State. Their inclusion, they said, happened only later through state government orders.
Now that Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are separate states, they demanded that the Centre restore Banjara, Lambada, and Sugali communities in Telangana to the BC category, contending that their continued inclusion in the ST list violates Article 342 of the Constitution.