Large-scale Tribal protest is reportedly being planned to be organised in Delhi in February to demand that tribals who converted be removed from the Scheduled Tribes’ list.
On Sunday, 24th December, the tribal communities in Jharkhand’s Ranchi staged a protest demanding the “delisting” of converted tribals from the Scheduled Tribals (ST) list. Around 5,000 tribals reportedly participated in the event.
The mega protest was organised under the banner of Janjantiya Suraksha Manch (JSM), an affiliate of the RSS-backed Vanvasi Kalyan Kendra, which has been leading the movement.
The JSM has been demanding that all the tribals who were converted to Christianity or Islam, be stripped off their ST status so that the additional benefits do not reach their doorsteps.
The JSM says that tribals who have converted to Christianity get help from the Church and missionary institutions in education and financially too. This gives them social and financial benefits as against the non-converted tribals.
Converted tribals get foreigns funds through churches, reservation benefits under ST status and government benefits for being a religious minority thereby putting the real ST communty at a disadvantage.
“The percentage of tribals who have embraced Christianity in Jharkhand will be around 15-20% but if we look at the government jobs and class I officers including the IAS, 80-90% are those who are converts,” said former deputy speaker of Lok Sabha and BJP leader, Karia Munda.
Meanwhile, the date for the February rally is not yet decided. Tribals from across cities are likely to participate. “In similar meetings in Nagpur, Nasik and Mumbai, several thousand tribals gathered to stage protest,” Munda said.
JSM national co-convener Rajkishore Hansda reportedly said the architects of Indian Constitution had made best efforts to protect the rights of tribals and ethnic group of India but these benefits went to a handful of “well-meaning tribals” backed by the Church.
On Sunday, the protesters donned their traditional attires, carrying weapons like bows, arrows, swords and sickles.
“The main objective of the rally was to demand the delisting of tribals who have converted to other religions. They should be deprived of reservation benefits accorded to Scheduled Tribes. They have no right to take the benefits from those who are real tribals,” BJP Lok Sabha MP Sudarshan Bhagat said.
Rajya Sabha member Samir Oraon said, “It is unfortunate that some have abandoned their culture, faith and tradition and become Christians or Muslims. They will be merely 20 per cent of the population but are snatching 80 per cent of the benefits from the original tribals.”
Other senior leaders who participated in the rally includes former Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha and National Protector of Tribal Security Forum Kadia Munda, former Minister of Chhattisgarh Ganesh Ram Bhagat Uravan, Prakash Singh of Madhya Pradesh.
The demand for the delisting of converted tribals is not new. In May this year, a rally was organised by the community in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad led by the Gujarat Janjati Suraksha Manch.
The conspiracy to convert tribals by scaring, luring or tricking them has been going on for decades. However, many converts have not changed their religion on paper and have remained Hindus which provides them other benefits including reservation.
On 14th December, the Maharashtra Government announced that a committee will be formed on the issue of converted tribals who are receiving dual benefits in the state.
Maharashtra minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha stated in the legislative council that a committee would be constituted to examine the advantages enjoyed by members of scheduled tribes (ST) community in Maharashtra who have converted to Christianity or Islam and left Hinduism.
The panel would be presided over by the vice-chancellor of a university and would consist of members from all political parties who would look into cases of tribal (Janjati/Vanvasi) conversion.
On 21st December, Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao stated in an exclusive interview with News18 that the conversion of the tribal population to Christianity by missionaries operating throughout the state needs to be addressed with appropriate government action.
Sao said that conversion of tribals has to be stopped. “We have to stop the conversion of tribal population in the state. It is a crucial issue that has to be addressed. We will take whatever measures are possible in the legal framework to stop this,” he said.