Adivasi leaders exhort community to beat TRS

Adilabad: Adivasi leaders on Monday gave a call to the community to defeat the TRS candidates to be fielded in the next elections for the survival of their tribe. The Adivasis termed the TRS and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao was against the Adivasis and his policies as against the interests of the community. 

The Adivasi leaders also appealed to the state government not to force them to take up arms to fight for their rights by neglecting their genuine demands for which they had been fighting democratically for the past 11 months. Thudum Debba’s state president Soyam Bapurao was addressing a massive gathering in front of the collectorate in protest against the revenue officials issuing agency certificates to the Lambadas in the district.

Mr Bapurao questioned how the revenue officials could issue agency certificates violating the GO-24 issued by the state government and also the Tribal Welfare Commissioner’s instructions. He said it was the social responsibility of the collector and officials to protect the constitutional rights of the Adivasis. He threatened to intensify their agitation and not to tolerate if the revenue officials issue agency certificates to the Lambadas by taking bribes or under political pressure. 

“Government orders say the agency certificates can be issued only to those who were residing in the area from January 26, 1950 and that too, tribes included in the list of STs by the Parliament,” he said. He said Lambadas were included in the STs list illegally in 1976. Soyam Bapurao recalled that Lambadas were not residents of agency areas and their Thandas were not existed in the agency by that date and hence, Lambabas can’t be given Agency certificates. 

Mypathi Arun Kumar, state president of Adivasi Vidyarthy Sangham, said ruling TRS government hood winking the Adivasis with false promises and reminded that Adivasis can achieve their rights only with democratic agitation and raising the issue in the Assembly and Parliament.

Adivasi leaders submitted a memorandum to the collector Divya Devarajan and requested her no to issue agency certificates to the Lambadas violating the GO: 24 and other Acts.  

Police made elaborate security arrangements to avoid untoward incidents and DSP Adilabad DSP Narasimha Reddy and Utnoor DSP Venaktesh personally monitored the situation.