The two-year anniversary celebrations of the Congress government in Chhattisgarh have run foul of the state’s Adivasi groups. The groups ha...
The two-year anniversary celebrations of the Congress government in Chhattisgarh have run foul of the state’s Adivasi groups. The groups have accused the government of majoritarianism and being insensitive to the beliefs of the state’s tribal communities, who account for almost 30 % of Chhattisgarh’s population.
The Bhupesh Baghel-led government, which completed two years on December 17, had organised a Ramayana-themed four-day long mega road rally starting December 14 spanning 1,575 kilometres across 17 districts to mark the occasion. But Adivasi outfits objected to it and obstructed the rally at several places claiming that a government-sponsored public event centred around a Hindu mythological text amounted to disrespecting tribal communities, many of whom did not practise Hinduism.
“You are carrying out a rally like that through our villages, collecting soil along the way, but do not even bother to consult with the gram sabha [village council],” said Sohan Patai, a former parliamentarian from the state’s Kanker constituency and currently spokesperson of the Sarva Adivasi Samaj, an umbrella organisation of tribal groups of the state, which spearheaded the opposition.
Invoking the Constitution
Patai added: “This is a clear case of the government undermining the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution and provoking the tribals.”
The Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, which...
