Mumbai/New Delhi
Seeking to counter Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mega tribal outreach, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday made his party’s own pitch for the community.
Speaking in Adivasi-dominated Nandurbar district of Maharashtra after his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra entered the state from Gujarat in its last leg, Rahul Gandhi announced that if his party forms the Government at the Centre it would strengthen the Forest Rights Act, `weakened’ under the BJP dispensation and include villages with more than 50 per cent tribal population in the sixth schedule of the Constitution.
This apart, he also reiterated his assertion for carrying out a caste census and an economic and financial survey.
He said the Scheduled Tribes make up for eight per cent of India’s population, and the Congress would ensure that they get a proportionate stake in development.
He maintained that his party’s government will include villages with more than 50 per cent tribal population in the “sixth schedule” (of the Constitution) so that local-level decisions cannot be implemented without tribals’ consent.
“Once we come to power, the Congress will carry out a caste census and an economic and financial survey across the country. It will be a revolutionary step. We will have the exact data of each caste and its representation in the population,” he said.
He also promised to introduce a legislation to provide guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farm and forest produce.
“The BJP weakened Acts like the Forest Rights Act or Land Acquisition Act. We will not only strengthen them but ensure that tribals’ claims are settled within one year,” he said.
By weakening of FRA he meant the recent amendments to the legislation brought in by the Environment Ministry. It even led to its face-off with the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes Chairman Harsh Chouhan, who opposed the amendments.
Chouhan cited “the current Rules have done away with the requirement of seeking consent altogether and have left the process of recognition of rights to be carried out after Stage I clearance or even Stage II clearance”.
Rahul alleged the BJP governments have wrongly rejected thousands of claims under the Forest Rights Act and denied the tribals access to the jungles.
The ruling party uses the word `vanvasi’ (forest-dwellers) for the Adivasi or tribal population in India to deny the fact of their existence before the arrival of people of other races, he added.
“Adivasi means you are the original owners of this land, water and the forest. The word `vanvasi’ does not come with such inheritance. The BJP keeps calling you `vanvasi’ but destroys your forests and gives them to Adanis. Your share in the population is around eight per cent, but do you have any representation in major corporate houses or at senior management levels in these private companies? Out of 90 IAS officers who allocate the country’s budget, only one officer is tribal. Of every Rs 100 spent in the budget, the tribal officer can decide about the utilisation of only 10 paise,” he charged.
He spoke about his learning while his yatra was passing through Gujarat. “Twenty-five per cent of the land acquired by the government in Gujarat belongs to the tribals, Dalits and backward communities. What sort of development is taking place by taking away your land? The Narendra Modi government at the Centre wrote off the debt of select corporate houses, but no such relief was given to tribals,” he claimed.
“The Modi government has written off corporate loans of Rs 16 lakh crore. It is equivalent to the outlay for MNREGA (rural employment scheme) for 24 years. In one year, Rs 65,000 crore are spent on MNREGA,” he said.
The net worth of 20-25 people in the country including the Ambanis and Adanis is equivalent to the collective net worth of 70 crore people, he claimed.
The Congress later posted on its X handle: : ADIVASI SANKALP: Our commitment to protecting tribals’ rights! Sushasan, Sudhar, Suraksha, Swashasan, Swabhiman, Sub Plan.”
