Adiwasi Ekta Mahajutan rally at Morhabadi ground today
Pioneer News Service
Ranchi
A major tribal mobilisation is set to take place at Morabadi Maidan in Ranchi on Sunday, with the proposed delimitation of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies emerging as the central issue. The Adiwasi Ekta Mahajutan has called the rally to oppose the proposed exercise and demand stronger protection of the constitutional and political rights of tribal communities in Jharkhand.
Scheduled from 11 am to 4 pm, the rally is expected to draw a large number of tribal people from across the state. Organisers have claimed that lakhs of participants will attend.
The organisers argue that delimitation cannot be viewed merely as a population-based exercise as it has direct implications for the political representation of Jharkhand’s tribal population. They have demanded that the Fifth Schedule, concentration of tribal communities, areas affected by historical displacement and existing constitutional safeguards be taken into account while redrawing constituencies.
A key demand is that the number of Scheduled Tribe (ST)-reserved constituencies should not be reduced. The organisers have further sought a proportionate increase in ST-reserved seats if the overall strength of the Lok Sabha or state Assembly is increased following delimitation.
Former minister and Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee working president Bandhu Tirkey said the tribal community would not compromise on its political representation. Linking the delimitation issue with Constitutional safeguards, he also raised concerns over the implementation of provisions associated with the Fifth Schedule, as well as the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act and Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act.
The proposed mobilisation, however, has triggered opposition from the BJP Scheduled Tribe Morcha and several other tribal organisations. These groups have appealed to indigenous tribal people to stay away from the rally, alleging that it has been convened with the involvement of Christian missionaries and claiming that apprehensions about delimitation are being used to create confusion among tribal communities.
The opposing groups have maintained that delimitation is a constitutional process and rejected claims that the exercise would automatically lead to a reduction in tribal political representation. They have accused the rally organisers of spreading misinformation and urged tribal communities to assess the issue on the basis of constitutional provisions rather than apprehensions.
The controversy has therefore created a clear divide among tribal organisations in Jharkhand. While one section is seeking statewide mobilisation to safeguard tribal political representation ahead of the proposed delimitation, another is questioning the basis of the campaign and warning against what it describes as misinformation about the constitutional exercise.
Meanwhile, the district administration has made elaborate security arrangements at Morabadi Maidan and surrounding areas. Additional police personnel will be deployed to maintain law and order during the rally.
With delimitation potentially influencing the future political representation of constituencies, the Ranchi mobilisation is likely to bring the debate over tribal representation and constitutional safeguards in Jharkhand into sharper focus.
