It\'s Tribal Culture Vs Religious Conversion in Chhattisgarh\'s Bastar

Jagdalpur: Ruling Congress is harping on the works done by the Bhuesh Baghel government for the preservation and promotion of tribal culture in Bastar in Chhattisgarh to stop the polarisation of votes on communal lines with BJP making the religious conversions in the red bastion as its major poll issue in the November seven assembly elections.

The Congress’s campaign in Bastar has focused on the development of ‘Devgudis’ (tribal village temples) and ‘Ghotuls’ ( socio-culture centres of tribals), undertaken by the Bhupesh Baghel government in the last five years, to connect to the tribals in the belt, which has been battling the Leftwing extremism for the past four decades.

“The development of ‘Devgudis’ and ‘Ghotuls’ in Bastar for preservation of tribal culture was conceived for the first time by the Bhupesh Baghel government”, Congress spokesman Sushil Anand Shukla said on Thursday.

As many as 2454 ‘Devgudis’ and ‘Ghotuls’ have been developed across Bastar in the last five years.

The state government has also allocated a grant of Rs five lakh to each panchayat in Bastar to undertake renovation of the ‘Devgudis’ in their villages.

Besides, the state government has provided a grant of Rs 10,000 to each panchayat in Bastar to conduct various tribal festivals.

Each of the seven districts under Bastar division have been allocated a fund of Rs 19 crore each by the state government to undertake renovation of ‘Devgudis’ and ‘Ghotuls’ in their respective areas.

The Bhupesh Baghel government has also introduced an innovative scheme, ‘Haat Bazar (village market) clinic’ to reach health services to remote parts of Bastar, Mr Shukla said.

BJP has made alleged religious conversions in tribal areas in the state particularly in Bastar a major issue in the upcoming assembly elections in the region.

“Illegal religious conversions are taking place in tribal areas in Chhattisgarh particularly Bastar in a massive way vitiating the social environment in villages. The situation has come to such a pass that tribals in the villages are now fighting over disposal of dead bodies of their kin”, senior BJP leader Anurag Agrawal said.

He cited recent incidents in some villages where members of a particular community were denied to perform last rites of the deceased in their villages by the rival community.

In many villages, tribals were seen asking the members of the particular community to perform the last rites of the deceased as per the tribal customs or leave the village, a senior police officer said, unwilling to be quoted.

Incidentally, the former commissioner of Bastar division had alerted the district collectors in Bastar on the reports of the growing incidents of religious conversions and sought measures by them to check it.

Several violent incidents were reported in various parts of Bastar over religious conversions in recent times.

“Religious conversions are taking place under the patronage of the Congress”, Mr Agrawal alleged.

Twelve assembly constituencies in Bastar are among the 20 seats which are going to assembly polls in the first phase on November seven.

All the 12 seats in Bastar are currently held by Congress.