BJP, Opposition spar over tribal welfare in Lok Sabha

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2022, which seeks to include Dhanuhar, Dhanuwar, Kisan, Saunra, Saonra and Binjhia communities in the list of Scheduled Tribes in Chhattisgarh.

During the discussion, there was a heated debate between Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Union tribal affairs minister Arjun Munda.

Chowdhury took a dig at the BJP government over "giving" a tribal woman a chance to become the president of the country. “Why are they saying they have given the post to her? The Presidential post is not theirs to give, it is not charity. Does she not deserve to become the President?” he said.

Munda also took aim at Congress and said the Bill had been brought based on the modalities fixed by the Union government to resolve the issues related to tribal communities. Similar bills for tribal communities in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have been brought in too, he added.

“The Congress is raising the issue of tribal populations in one state, that’s why it did not get the post of leader of Opposition,” Munda said. “Who formed the Lokur Committee? Yet, you did not follow its recommendations. Adivasis of the country want to know why you did not implement it” he said.

Chowdhury also insisted that the Kurmi tribe has been included in the list and he questioned the government’s work on the education of tribal students. He said that while the government plans to establish 750 Eklavya Model Residential schools, there are serious questions being raised about the budget allocation. “The MoTA itself aims to open 462 schools by 2022. As noted by the Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment’s report, in 2021, only 285 EMR Schools were functional while 588 were sanctioned. As of March 2022, the number of functional schools stands at 375 when the number of sanctioned schools is 652,” Chowdhury said.

During the discussion, where as many as 25 members spoke, Shiv Sena member Rahul Shewala said that his faction of the party does not agree with Rajendra Gavit, a member from the Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray faction. “Our faction supports the inclusion of the Dangar community in the list,” Shewale said.