Arvind Netam, a senior leader from Tribal background, has submitted his resignation from the Congress party’s primary membership, signaling a significant political event ahead of the next assembly elections in Chhattisgarh.
The action comes as a brand-new political force, led by the Sarva Adivasi Samaj, is preparing to jump into action and participate in the November assembly elections.
When asked about the reason for his resignation, Netam told the media, “There are several reasons, including the neglect of tribal communities under the current Congress government in Chhattisgarh. Diluting the PESA rules is a prime example of how the Congress government is least interested in protecting the rights of tribal communities.”
Veteran tribal leader Arvind Netam of Chattisharh resigns from Congress due to the Anti-Tribal mindset and policies of Congress Chattisgarh Government. @blsanthosh @MrsGandhi pic.twitter.com/XRQselbWTs
— BJP Scheduled Tribe Morcha (@BJPSTMORCHA) August 10, 2023
Former Union minister and well-known tribal leader Arvind Netam has a long history of affiliation with the Congress party and has been instrumental in advancing the concerns of tribal groups. The new party, led by the Sarva Adivasi Samaj, claims to provide tribal populations with a forum to express their issues and goals.
Its leaders contend that the Congress and the BJP, as well as other major parties, have failed to address a number of issues, such as protecting “Jal, Jungle, and Jameen” (water, forest, and land), and putting the Panchayat Extension in Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act into action.
The former Union minister, who served in the PV Narasimha Rao and Indira Gandhi administrations at the Union Cabinet level, has already started the process of forming a new political organization. Netam, a member of the Sarva Adivasi Samaj, had previously stated that the new party would put up candidates for at least 50 assembly seats in the forthcoming elections for the 90-member state legislative assembly.
The Chhattisgarh Sarva Adivasi Samaj fielded its own candidate, Akbar Pam Korram, in the by-election for the Bhandupratappur (ST) assembly seat in December of the previous year, and he received more than 23,000 votes.
