At a time Narendra Modi-led BJP has been making intense efforts to strengthen its base among tribal communities by appointing tribal leaders as chief ministers for two states, Chhattisghar and Odisha, it is likely to be forced into defence with the tribal community from Rajasthan has come out with a new demand for creation of a new tribal state `Bhil Pradesh’.
Already, the BJP government in Rajasthan has rejected this demand. The tribal society has demanded the formation of the new state by combining 49 districts of Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Incidentally, BJP is in power in all these four states.
This demand includes 12 districts out of the old 33 districts of Rajasthan in the new state. They also seek to include 13 districts from Madhya Pradesh. As many as 35 organizations including Adivasi Parivar, the largest organization of Bhil society, had called a mega rally on Thursday.
Maneka Damor, founder member of the Adivasi Parivar Sanstha, said at the rally that tribal women should not follow the instructions of the Pandits. Tribal families do not apply sindoor, do not wear mangalsutra.
“Women and girls of the tribal society should focus on education. From now on, everyone should stop fasting. We are not Hindus, she added. The Adivasi Parivar Sanstha is spread across the four states.
Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) MP Rajkumar Roat from Banswara said “the demand for Bhil Pradesh is not new. The BAP is raising this demand strongly. After the mega rally, a delegation will meet the President and the Prime Minister with the proposal.”
Apart from Rajasthan, tribal people from Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra gathered for the meeting held at Mangarh Dham in Banswara.
However, Rajasthan’s Tribal minister Babulal Kharadi said a state cannot be formed on the basis of caste. If this happens, he cautioned that other people will also make demands. Moreover, he asserted that those who changed their religion should not get the benefit of tribal reservation.