Attaining autonomy
IT WAS victory for the people, particularly the tribals, who have for long lived on 'the fringes of political centrestage. In a belated move, the Central government agreed to the demand of the adivasis to take steps to ensure adivasi 'self rule' after an indefinite hunger, strike by tribal activists at Samata Sthal, NewDelhi. The indefinite hunger strike, which began on February 17, was organised by the National Front for Tribal Self Rule (NFTSR), a coalition of tribal organisations working in different parts of the country. The fasting tribals were also joined by the chairperson of Bharat Jan Andolan and the former Commissioner of Scheduled Caste, and Tribes, B D Sharma.
It was only after the minister of state for urban development, S S Ahluwalia, gave a categorical assurance to the 30 fasting adivasis to implement the government-appointed Bhuria Committee report - which advocates adivasi self rule - that the adivasis broke their fast on February 25.
Says Pradip Prabhu, the convenor of the NFTSR and the leader of the Kashtakari Sangathana, an adivasi organisation, in Thane district, "We have won a major victory. The government has agreed to introduce a. bill incorporating the recommendations of Bhuria Committee in this present session of Parliament. Alternatively, the government will have it promulgated as presidential executive ordinance. The government has also agreed to include Sharma in the drafting of this bill so that the spirits of the recommendations of the Bhuria Committee are observed".
Under pressure from NFTSR, a high- level committee of tribal Members of -Parliament (mp) under the chairpersonship of Dileep'$ingh Bhuria, an mp from the central state of Madhya Pradesh, was formed by the government to evolve a framework to extend the principles underlying the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments on panchayati raj to the tribal areas with suitable modifica- tions as required under the Article 243 (m) of the Indian constitution. The logic behind this article was that tribal societies were by and large the last vestiges of community self governance.
The Bhuria Committee report, submitted on January 17 this year, brought within the scope of village governance, stress of participatory democracy, viz, tribal community control over its surrounding natural resources like water, forests, land etc, tribal community management of village conflicts and administration of law and order, planning and implementation of development programmes along with accountability of bureaucracy to the tribal community. In short, the report provided the tribal people a chance to govern their own lives and shape their destiny.
However, the government sat on the report forcing tribals across the country to agitate for its implementation. And to draw the attention of those who matter in the political circles, tribal representatives went on an indefinite hunger strike with their demand of tribal autonomy. With general elections around- the corner, the tribal agitators have succeeded in bringing the 'self rule' question on the electoral agenda of most mainstream political parties. G S Pushkar, an adivasi leader of Bodhkattu Krishakara Sangha, Karnataka, says, "Leaders of the Communist Party of India (cpi), Janata Dal and Samata Party have visited us and extended their total support. cpi leader and mp Chaturanand Mishra and leaders like Ram Vilas Paswan of Janata Dal have agreed to raise the question in the Parliament". Comments Mora Munda, an adivasi from East Singbhum district, Bihar, "With elections around the corner, no political party is willing to risk the tribal votes".
The fasting tribals were also supported by the tribals working in New Delhi, who had migrated to the metropolis in search of work. A 4,000- strong group of adivasi men and women, presently working in Delhi, had joined' the February 26 victory march, after the fast was withdrawn the day- before. These adivasi women and men are either working as domestic labour in households or on construction, sites as migrant labout. Meghabai, a tribal woman from Bihar, currently working as a domestic labour in Delhi, is strongly supportive of the demand for self rule. She says, "If we are given control over our land and natural resources, we will not have to migrate to cities like Delhi in search of work. We can work and live in our villages with dignity". Madhu, an articulate tribal woman activist from Thane district in Maharashtra who also went on fast, feels that self rule will empower the adivasi women too. "With the control of resources vesting with the community rather than the forest department, management of the forests will be better. Further, we will not be harassed when we collect dry twigs from the forests for our chulha. Our burdens will be reduced," she opines. The adivasis and their supporters have gone back with a resolve to enforce their right to self rule. Warns Vanaraj Sigoria of Adivasis Mukti Sangathana, Madhya Pradesh, "The government must honour its promise. We will not rest till then".