The Codava National Council (CNC), which has alleged that there are efforts aimed at systematic ethnic cleansing by stronger and dominant communities of the Old Mysuru region, will organise Codava National Day on December 2 at Madikeri to give a call to “right to live”.
CNC president N.U. Nachappa told reporters here on Tuesday that Kodavas see efforts to minimise the 1.5 lakh population of Kodavas with the use of government powers.
“We are being exterminated by people in power,” he said.
CNC intends to re-insist and rejuvenate Kodagu’s geo-political aspiration for the quest of autonomy and register the Kodavas solidarity for self-determination and the right of Kodava tribal world through the Annual Codava National Day, he said.
Mr. Nachappa said that the programme this time also intends to help victims of landslips from seven Naadas of Northwestern Kodava region of Kodagu so that they regain their lost land where they lived for generations.
He said that the ethnographic survey desired by the Union government and conducted by the State government through Mysore Tribal Research Institute was stalled half-way in 2016 by vested interests of Old Mysuru region. The Centre wanted to include Kodavas in the Scheduled list of the Constitution and had released ₹ 11 lakh for the survey in 2016, Mr. Nachappa noted.
Mr. Nachappa said that the survey was the gateway for inclusion of non-scheduled Kodava tribe into the Scheduled list of the Constitution that would help them protect, preserve and ratify their inherent land rights, traditional habitation, historical continuity, cultural heritage, economic freedom and geo-political aspirations. However, dominant communities in the region are trying to gag Kodavas from rising to primacy by retrograde steps in administration. As such, Kodavas are left with no alternative but to demand for an independent administrative entity, like the Independent Hill Council or Autonomous Administrative Region or even a Grade “C” State, Mr. Nachappa said.
