Odisha govt ‘anti-tribal’, schemes for adivasis only to woo them: BJP

Bhubaneswar: Terming the ruling Biju Janta Dal (BJD) in Odisha as “anti-tribal”, opposition BJP alleged that the state government rolled out special packages for tribals only to woo them ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and the assembly elections.

The BJD’s programmes for adivasis are a “poll gimmick” to mislead the one-crore tribal population in the state, Opposition chief whip Mohan Charan Majhi told reporters here on Tuesday.

“They were actually planning to grab tribal land for corporate houses by amending the Odisha Scheduled Areas Transfer of Immovable Property (by Scheduled Tribes) Regulation. However, the government failed in its bid in the wake of strong protests from different quarters,” Majhi claimed.

The Odisha Cabinet on Monday withdrew its earlier decision on tribal land transfer to non-tribals.

The BJP leader also mocked the cabinet’s approval of a new scheme— Laghu Bana Jatiya Drabya Kraya (LABHA) which assures minimum support prices for minor forest produces.

“With the elections approaching, the state government has planned to woo tribal voters by announcing special packages. What did it do for the tribals in the past 24 years?” Majhi said.

Besides the LABHA scheme, the cabinet also approved the establishment of a commission for the preservation and promotion of tribal languages of Scheduled Tribes of Odisha.

It will focus on preserving and promoting 21 tribal languages in the state, encouraging multilingual education and protecting linguistic rights, officials said.

Besides, the cabinet passed a resolution for the inclusion of 169 communities in the Scheduled Tribes list of Odisha.

“The Odisha government’s anti-tribal attitude cannot be concealed with special packages,” Majhi asserted.

Reacting to the remarks, the state’s ST, SC, OBC & Minorities Minister, Jagannath Saraka, said: “The Odisha government has always taken measures for the upliftment of tribals. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has maintained that development of tribals will ensure development of the state. There is no politics behind the schemes for tribals.” Of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state, five are reserved for ST candidates.