The animosity between Adivasis and Lambada tribe in the State is on the rise. The violent incidents in the Agency areas of Adilabad and Kumram Bheem Asifabad districts in the last few days being a case in point.
Everyone concerned with the issue seems to be of the opinion that it is time the government came out with its response to the demand of the aboriginal people that the Lambadas be removed from the list of Scheduled Tribes.
The ethnic people have raised the demand based on their contention that inclusion of Lambadas in the ST list was done without following due procedure. The latter however rebut the allegation saying the government followed every procedure in declaring them as a Scheduled Tribe in 1976.
“Things came to such a pass only because the government is behaving like a silent spectator,” accused the national working president of All India Banjara Seva Sangh, Amar Singh Tilawat.
“It has ignored even the fact that Lambada teachers are not being allowed to perform their duties in schools,” added the senior Lambada leader who, along with former Warangal Member of Parliament D. Ravindra Naik was among the young leaders instrumental in getting his community included in the ST list in 1976.
“The government should come out with a clarification on our contention,” demanded Raj Gond youth leader Kanaka Ambaji Rao, brandishing a copy of an RTI reply from the Union Government which says that Lambada community is not included as ST. Others from his organisation, Haimendorf Youth, show copies of parts of the Constitution of India and other documents to buttress their point of view.
“In the absence of a clarification from proper authorities, lots of stories are doing rounds creating problems for the administration. The government should issue a clarification so that no problem arises in future,” suggested a senior official in the Kumram Bheem Asifabad district administration as a measure to end the present crisis-like situation.
“The government should also respond to our other major demands which relate to the migrant Lambadas landing up with government jobs on the basis of fake ST certificates and Agency Area certificates. We have been denied our due owing to this phenomenon,” Mr. Ambaji added.
It may be relevant to note that both the warring sides were expecting a response from the government as early as late October when the Adivasis began objecting to Lambada teachers coming to tribal welfare schools.
“The delay has caused enormous damage to the social fabric in the tribal areas,” Mr. Tilawat had observed during a conversation with The Hindu when he headed a protest by Lambada employees in Adilabad in November.
