Madhya Pradesh BJP government denying tribals their rights, usurping their land: Congress
The Hindu
Congress alleges BJP government in Madhya Pradesh plans to privatise 40% of forests, displacing tribals from their habitat.
NEW DELHI
The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh plans to privatise 40% of the State’s forests and seeks to displace tribals from their natural habitat, the Congress party alleged on Monday.
Addressing a press conference at the Congress party’s 24 Akbar Road office, newly appointed Adivasi Congress chairman and Jhabua MLA Vikrant Bhuria alleged that the BJP is “weakening” the constitutional rights of tribals and “snatching” their land. “BJP government of Madhya Pradesh wants to remove tribals from the forests,” Mr. Bhuria said.
“The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh is going to privatise 40% of forests. The government says these forests have been ruined, so they will give them to private companies so that they can develop them. But what is being hidden is that tribals are settled in these forests, either they have pastures in these forests, or they have agricultural land,” he said.
He asserted that tribals, who number 12 crore, and are the original inhabitants of the country, are being denied their rights. “So, the M.P. government has made all the preparations to remove them from these forests,” he said, adding that the previous BJP government of former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also “tried” to do this but had to roll it back due to “public opposition”.
The Congress leader said the aim of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act was to strengthen Panchayati Raj in the Scheduled Areas since the needs and laws of tribals are different. “As part of this, Gram Sabha laws are universally accepted, which means that self-governance in the village will function through the tribals. If you want to do any kind of work in the village, then you will have to take permission from the tribals. But the reality is that even today tribals are not being consulted,” Mr. Bhuria said.
Mr. Bhuria referred to a draft policy introduced by the State’s Forest Department that was put in the public domain to seek public’s opinion last month.
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