Adilabad: The Congress will hold a first-of-its-kind session on tribal issues, focusing on their empowerment and protection of constitutional rights, at Nagarjunasagar from January 5 to 11.
The event will strategise ways to strengthen tribal leadership and launch programmes to raise awareness among tribal communities. It will also explore measures to connect with tribals and highlight welfare schemes aimed at their empowerment. Over 100 leaders from across the country are expected to participate.
The Congress is emphasising tribal issues in response to the growing influence of the BJP, RSS, and their affiliated organisations, particularly in Telangana.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy will attend the inaugural session on January 5, while Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka will participate on January 11.
The event will include sitting tribal MLAs, former MLAs, current tribal ministers, and chairpersons of tribal corporations. Tribal leaders will address key topics, including the 1/70 Act (Land Transfer Regulation Act), the Panchayat Raj Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA), safeguards for Adivasis under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, and GO:3.
Subject experts and activists working in tribal areas will discuss the implementation of tribal laws in Telangana’s agency regions and ways to develop tribal leadership and policies.
The Congress high command has expressed concerns over the BJP and RSS expanding their influence among tribal communities through various programmes. The Congress lost the Adilabad MP seat in the last parliamentary elections, with BJP's Godam Nagesh winning by a margin of 90,000 votes. Additionally, four BJP MLAs were elected from the erstwhile Adilabad district.
Assembly and parliamentary election results have underscored the BJP's growing foothold in the Adilabad region.
Congress SC, ST, and OBC departments chairman Koppula Raju, CWC member Meenakshi Natarajan, senior leader Sachin Rawath, MLC Prof. Kodandaram, and other prominent Congress leaders will address the sessions on various tribal-related issues.
Tribal leaders from Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha will also attend the convention.
