Quite disappointing
‘Similar to BJP under RSS’: Chhattisgarh tribal body forms new party
Chhattisgarh’s Sarva Adivasi Samaj (SAS), an umbrella organisation of tribal groups in the state, announced on Saturday that it has registered a political party named Hamar Raj.
“Hamar Raj (Our Rule) party is now a political platform, and it will function under the instructions of Sarva Adivasi Samaj, which follows tribal rules, culture and traditions,” SAS president Arvind Netam, a former Union minister under the Indira Gandhi government, said at a press conference in Raipur city.
He said the formation of the party under the tribal body was along the lines of how the RSS has “independent groups under it, including the BJP”. “The RSS has 50-odd independent groups under it, including BJP…We wanted a similar formation for our Adivasi Samaj,” he said.
Netam (81) said the Adivasi Samaj was “forced” to form a party because neither the BJP nor the Congress – the only two parties tov have come to power in Chhattisgarh since the state’s formation – worked on the issues affecting tribal communities. “Our demands were not met by the Congress or the BJP in the last 20 years. In fact, this government has weakened the provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA). This is the most worrying factor. Our fight is not a political one, it is a fight for our identity, for the Constitution and for PESA,” Netam said.
He said even though there was pressure on the Hamar Raj party to tie up with other parties, like the BSP, the Janta Congress Chhattisgarh-Jogi, and the AAP, “We do not want to dilute our political movement, so there will be no tie-ups. We will go slow, so that the samaj (society) will slowly show trust in us.”
The party has plans to contest 50 seats, including 29 tribal reserved seats and one seat reserved for SC.
The president of the party, Akbar Ram Korram, a retired DIG, said, “We are almost done selecting the 50 seats. Both BJP and Congress are exposing each other on corruption, and tribal people are fed up with them.”
Netam said the party would welcome people from all backward communities as well as Brahmins.
Party general secretary Vinod Nagvanshi said, “The party will put their weight behind candidates from small groups and independent candidates if they want its help.”
In Sukma district’s Konta constituency, in particular, the new party’s presence could spell trouble for the Congress, whose minister Kawasi Lakhma is a five-time MLA from the seat.
Korram said Hamar Raj would support the CPI’s Manish Kunjam from Konta. Kunjam, a two-time MLA from the seat, had come in third in the 2018 election with 26.94% vote share. While Lakhma won the election with 35.05% votes at the time, the BJP came second with 27.68%.
Jayprakash S Naidu – 2023-09-30 15:19