A sign of growing discontent among Adivasis in Adilabad over the current developments in the agency areas was evident at programme in connection with the 75th martyrdom anniversary of Gond martyr’s Kumram Bheem at Jodeghat in Kerameri mandal of Adilabad district on Tuesday.
Adivasi youths stalled Tribal Minister A. Chandulal from addressing the gathering at the programme as he belonged to Lambada tribe, against which the former nurse a grouse.
The Minister was allowed to speak only after the leader of the Adivasi Joint Action Committee Kanaka Yadav Rao was given a chance to voice the grievances of the tribes from the stage where IT and Panchayat Raj Minister K. T. Rama Rao was the chief guest. Others who were present were Forest Minister Jogu Ramanna, Housing Minister A. Indrakaran Reddy, Government Whip Nallala Odelu, MPs of Adilabad G. Nagesh and Peddapalli Balka Suman, MLAs G. Vittal Reddy, Rathod Bapu Rao, A. Rekha Naik, N. Diwakar Rao, Durgam Chinnaiah, Koneru Konappa and Kova Laxmi.
The Adivasi JAC and other groups who vociferously made their demands wanted the government to scrap the Chellappa Commission constituted to examine the case of the Gaidi Lambadas or Mathura community to be included in the list of STs. They also wanted removal of the Lambada community from the list of Scheduled Tribes and evict all non-tribals encroaching tribal property by stringent implementation of AP Scheduled Areas Land Transfer Regulation Amendment 1 of 1970.
Among the other major demands were putting stop to opening of open cast coal mines to save the pristine environment. A task force to control atrocities on tribal women was also demanded.
Mr. Rama Rao assured the protesters that the TRS government would do nothing to harm the interests of tribals. Without elaborating on that point, he however said he will bring to the notice of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao the demand with regard to open cast mines and Chellappa Commission.
