Sendhwa (Madhya Pradesh): Tribal Hindu Jan Jagran Samiti Assembly convenor Vikas Arya on Sunday addressed masses on the arrival of Hindu Jan Jagran Sankalp Yatra in Panjaria village in Mhow tehsil.
He demanded that tribals who convert to other religions should be barred from government benefits so that they could not be able to avail other reservation benefits reserved for the Scheduled Tribes category. Arya added that people who change their religion and yet avail of reservation benefits (meant for SC Hindus) should be terminated with immediate effect.
There is an urgent need to fight against people trying to influence the tribal to go astray. Stern action should be taken against such people, he said we are descendants of Lord Ram, we worship Ram and will continue to do so.
Damor starts campaign for withdrawal of quota benefits to tribal converts
Jhabua: BJP MP Guman Singh Damor on Sunday said he had been organising ëdelistingí rallies across the state for the past few days seeking that tribals who convert to any other religion must not be given reservations mandated for Scheduled Tribes.
Lok Sabha MP from Ratlam-Jhabua constituency, himself a tribal, said Article 342 of the Constitution speaks of reservations for STs but is silent on those (tribals) who convert to other religions, while Article 341 of the Constitution is clear that members of Scheduled Caste communities will be deprived of reservations if they convert.
"We have been organising delisting rallies in all tribal-dominated districts, including 22 such districts of Madhya Pradesh. Our demand is that any ST who converts to another religion should be deprived of reservation benefits (in government jobs and admission)," he said.
"I have held three rallies in Jhabua, Alirajpur and Ratlam to create public awareness about delisting such people who are enjoying reservation benefits even after religious conversion," Damor added.
The aim was to create awareness so that laws to this effect can be passed in the Parliament, adding that similar "delisting" efforts were made in 1970 but in vain.
Hitting back, state Youth Congress chief Vikrant Bhuria tweeted a clipped video of Damor and said the latter should be "ashamed as he himself is an MP from an ST reserved seat".
Bhuria demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan clarify their stands on this statement, adding that Damor's move was making it clear that "the BJP's love for tribals and the deprived classes was just a gimmick". After several others tweeted the clipped video uploaded by Bhuria, Damor, who shared the video in in its entirety, threatened legal action.
Reacting to Damor's statements, Jhabua Christian Diocese public relations officer Rocky Shah said some people wanted to achieve their vested interests by linking this "delisting" campaign to Christians. "This is a conspiracy against not only those tribal people who are Christians but also against those who are following other religions. There are Constitutional provisions under which tribals have been given reservations and he or she cannot be deprived of it for following any other religion," Shah added.
