Ranchi: A former parliamentarian from Jharkhand has urged the tribals of the eastern Indian state to treat legislators from their community as traitors for supporting amendments to land laws.
Salkhan Murmu, head of Jharkhand Sengel Abhiyan (campaign to empower Jharkhand), opposed the state government’s move to amend Chotanagpur Tenancy Act and Santhal Paragana Tenancy Act.
The Jharkhand legislative assembly has already passed the amendments, which now awaits the nod from state Governor Droupadi Murmu, telegraphindia.com reported.
“These amendment bills would never have been laid in the state Assembly without the consent of Tribal Advisory Council,” Murmu told a rally in Simdega, a town in Jharkhand on March 9.
The council, he explained has 20 members, including the state chief minister, who is a non-tribal. “Of the 19 tribal members, 15 are MLAs. Had they honestly opposed the amendment proposals, chief minister Raghubar Das would never have been able to do anything,” Murmu told the meeting held at the Albert Ekka Stadium in Simdega.
Bishop Vincent Barwa of Simdega, chairperson of the Catholic bishops’ conference’s tribal affairs office, shared the dais.
The bishop had recently joined Cardinal Telesphore Toppo, who led a delegation to the governor requesting her not to ratify the amendment bills.
The government claims the amendments would enable tribals to make non-agriculture use of their land without losing ownership rights.
The Church and some tribal outfits say the amendment would allow corporate firms and business groups to exploit Jharkhand’s mineral rich tribal lands.
Murmu argued that since tribal legislators represented the assembly reserved for Scheduled Tribes, safeguarding interests of the community was their duty over and above party and personal interests.
“The tribal MLAs should have resigned en masse if Raghubar Das refused to listen to them. It would have automatically led to the fall of Raghubar Das government and amendment bills would not have been passed by the assembly. They (tribal MLAs) are the real traitors. They ought to be taught a lesson. Raghubar Das cannot be blamed alone,” Murmu said.
The former Member of Parliament said tribals would be ruined in six months if the government was not overthrown.
“We don’t need violence to pull down this government. Just compel the tribal MLAs to resign,” he told the crowd which he claimed was over 100,000 but the administration put it to around 10,000.
But, even the Simdega administration admitted this was one of the biggest public meetings held in the district and crowds were enthusiastic.