Representatives Meet To Consolidate Tribal Politics

Having got a fillip with the election of PA Sangma as Lok Sabha Speaker last year, tribal politics is gradually coming into its own. Tribal MPs and MLAs from across the country plan to get together this weekend to discuss the unique problems of tribal communities.The importance of the gram sabha as the representative of the traditional community, legal protection for gram sabhas to decide on land usage or alienation, protection and upkeep of forests and employment opportunities are among the issues the tribal legislators plan to discuss.

Billed as the All India Tribal Meet, it is to be inaugurated by Sangma. Congress president Sitaram Kesri is to be the guest at the closing ceremony and Janata Dal working president Sharad Yadav is to preside over the last working session.

The organisers, led by Congress MP Ajit Jogi, intend that participants should get into groups for discussion of various issues after the inaugural session. They have persuaded various public sector units to host the meals for the conference, which will be held at the Parliament House annexe.

Briefing newspersons about the conference yesterday, Jogi said the organisers planned resolutions on empowerment of tribals, on their socio-economic development and on their social problems.

He said tribal MPs had hitherto got together with Dalit MPs to discuss common concerns. There were important areas in which tribals problems were different to those of Dalits, though, and so tribals were getting together separately for the first time.

Among important differences, he pointed out that tribals did not suffer untouchability, lived in communities in which there were few others whereas Dalits lived as minorities in larger village communities and most tribals lived in forests and hills unlike Dalits, who lived in villages everywhere.

He added that the forum of SC/ST MPs will remain a very important and meaningful forum and we will remain a part of it.