‘People in metros look down upon tribals’

People in Delhi and other big cities look down upon the tribals in the country, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Jual Oram stated on Thursday. He was speaking at the student parliament organised for students from the tribal community.

“I want to tell them that what we don’t know, you also don’t know. We are just not active in portraying ourselves as superiors and that is the only weakness,” Mr. Oram said.

The Minister said a common notion among those living in big cities is that tribals are not part of the same society.

“There is a need to dispel this notion. There is no clarity among them about what the word ‘tribal’ means. We need to understand that they [tribals] are very much a part of the same society and deserve the same treatment,” he said.

“We might be backward and exploited, but we are not beggars. We are mineral-rich and have the kind of resources that others do not possess. We are not just good at exaggerating and manipulating things, and that is what makes us inferior in their eyes.”

The three-day parliament, which began on Thursday, has being organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

Students representing universities across the country are taking part in the event to discuss issues faced by them and to draw the government’s attention towards the need for safety and development plans for them.

While Day One was dedicated to tribal students at a seminar entitled, “Tribal Student-Youth Parliament”, the remaining two days will be for “Women Student Parliament” and “North East Student-Youth leaders Parliament”.

Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Jual Oram said those living in cities thought tribals were not part of the

same society