Give land to landless or get voted out, dalits-tribal issue warning to MP govt
Senior Correspondent
NewsBits.in
Bhopal: Hundreds of dalits and tribal people inclusive of large number of women on Wednesday displayed their strength and unity in Bhopal. They issued warning to state government that if they are not given 5 acres of land per landless family by December 2017, they would vote the present BJP government out of power.
The dalits and tribals held at ‘Dalit Adiwasi Bhumi Adhikar’ (land rights) rally and then a demonstration meeting at Ambedkar Maidan in Bhopal under the aegis of Rashtriya Dalit Mahasabha.
The rally came on a day when the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat was addressing a Hindu Mahasammelan at Betul. This convention had also attracted opposition from the local tribal population.
In Bhopal, the convener of Rashtriya Dalit Mahasabha Ashok Bharti said that the MP government was exploiting the dalits and tribal people. The organizers said that their fight was political and they might also launch a political outfit to continue the struggle. Poor people from other communities also participated in the rally.
Giving statistics to prove their case that scheduled caste and scheduled tribe people constitute 36.5% population in the state, but hold only 3.5% of land, which shows the high discrimination with them.
They said that each landless SC/ST family should be given 5 acres of land by December 2017, to do away with the discrepancy.
The Rashtriya Dalit Mahasabha and Adiwasi Adhikar Andolan have been trying to create awareness on land rights among the marginal section of society for some years now. (Photo Courtesy: Bhaskar.com)
