By Manas Dasgupta
Even two years after the enactment of the new central act to give them ownership of the forest land they cultivate, the tribals in Gujarat have so far gained nothing. On the eve of the parliamentary elections, the tribals are asking questions about the intentions of both the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre and the BJP government in the State about implementing the “Scheduled Tribe and Other Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Land) Act, 2006.”
The challenge issued by Chief Minister Narendra Modi last year to the Centre to take action against him for “allocating” forest lands to the tribals without New Delhi’s permission, has not impressed anyone. There was no further action by the State government to give actual ownership rights and the tribals remained where they were, facing harassment by forest officials for alleged encroachment, continued repression and often forcibly displaced from their holdings.
The tribals feel alienated both from the Congress and the BJP. Not known for religious intolerance, the tribals had surprisingly sided with the Sangh Parivar during the 2002 communal riots and overwhelmingly supported the BJP in the State Assembly elections that followed. However, the voting pattern in the 2004 parliamentary and 2007 Assembly elections indicate that the tribals had returned to the Congress fold; most of the tribal-dominated seats were recaptured by the Congress.
The Congress and the BJP blame each other for the plight of the tribals but neither appears to be serious about addressing their problems. The BJP claims that the Centre was not clearing the State government’s recommendations for allotment of forest lands to the tribals, while the Congress maintains that the Centrally-sponsored welfare schemes were not being implemented by the Modi government.
More than one lakh tribals in south Gujarat alone have submitted their claims for getting legal recognition over forest land under the 2006 Act. They have pressed their demands at the district, State and the Central levels, but to no avail. Thousands of tribals have staged demonstrations in front of Parliament demanding that December 13, 2005 be made the cut-off date for recognising ownership rights. But nothing has happened and Gujarat lags far behind other States giving the tribals legal rights over their land.
The tribals are also seeking effective implementation of the national rural employment guarantee scheme, revision of “Below Poverty Line” (BPL) cards and its allotment to the needy, 35 kg food-grains for BPL card holders, home for landless, educational facilities for all especially up to higher secondary, filling the vacant seats reserved for tribals and subsidy in agricultural inputs like, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and other assistance for the marginal tribal farmers.
At a recent meeting convened by various voluntary organisations, the tribals decided to support the CPI candidate for the Bardoli reserve seat, Shantaben Patel, and appealed to the tribals to vote for Left democratic candidates. The tribal vote, constituting about 14 per cent of the electorate, can impact on seven parliamentary seats in the State. Observers say Mr. Modi has cleverly choked the implementation of the forest land allocation act to turn the ire of the tribals against the Congress, and this will hurt the Congress more than the BJP.
Source: The Hindu
Even two years after the enactment of the new central act to give them ownership of the forest land they cultivate, the tribals in Gujarat have so far gained nothing. On the eve of the parliamentary elections, the tribals are asking questions about the intentions of both the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre and the BJP government in the State about implementing the “Scheduled Tribe and Other Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Land) Act, 2006.”
The challenge issued by Chief Minister Narendra Modi last year to the Centre to take action against him for “allocating” forest lands to the tribals without New Delhi’s permission, has not impressed anyone. There was no further action by the State government to give actual ownership rights and the tribals remained where they were, facing harassment by forest officials for alleged encroachment, continued repression and often forcibly displaced from their holdings.
The tribals feel alienated both from the Congress and the BJP. Not known for religious intolerance, the tribals had surprisingly sided with the Sangh Parivar during the 2002 communal riots and overwhelmingly supported the BJP in the State Assembly elections that followed. However, the voting pattern in the 2004 parliamentary and 2007 Assembly elections indicate that the tribals had returned to the Congress fold; most of the tribal-dominated seats were recaptured by the Congress.
The Congress and the BJP blame each other for the plight of the tribals but neither appears to be serious about addressing their problems. The BJP claims that the Centre was not clearing the State government’s recommendations for allotment of forest lands to the tribals, while the Congress maintains that the Centrally-sponsored welfare schemes were not being implemented by the Modi government.
More than one lakh tribals in south Gujarat alone have submitted their claims for getting legal recognition over forest land under the 2006 Act. They have pressed their demands at the district, State and the Central levels, but to no avail. Thousands of tribals have staged demonstrations in front of Parliament demanding that December 13, 2005 be made the cut-off date for recognising ownership rights. But nothing has happened and Gujarat lags far behind other States giving the tribals legal rights over their land.
The tribals are also seeking effective implementation of the national rural employment guarantee scheme, revision of “Below Poverty Line” (BPL) cards and its allotment to the needy, 35 kg food-grains for BPL card holders, home for landless, educational facilities for all especially up to higher secondary, filling the vacant seats reserved for tribals and subsidy in agricultural inputs like, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and other assistance for the marginal tribal farmers.
At a recent meeting convened by various voluntary organisations, the tribals decided to support the CPI candidate for the Bardoli reserve seat, Shantaben Patel, and appealed to the tribals to vote for Left democratic candidates. The tribal vote, constituting about 14 per cent of the electorate, can impact on seven parliamentary seats in the State. Observers say Mr. Modi has cleverly choked the implementation of the forest land allocation act to turn the ire of the tribals against the Congress, and this will hurt the Congress more than the BJP.
Source: The Hindu
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