Bhopal: Jai Adivasi Yuva Shakti (JAYAS) founder Hiralal Alawa, who later joined Congress, has urged the state government to implement the fifth schedule in tribal areas. “Humara kshetra humara raj (our region, our rule) has always been our demand and will continue,” he told TOI.
Alawa, who is reportedly upset with the Congress after he was not inducted into the cabinet, said he has identified some constituencies including Jhabua, Khargone and Betul to field candidates for Lok Sabha polls.

Sources said Alawa had asked the Congress to field JAYAS candidates from these constituencies. A post-graduate in medicine, Alawa had won from Manawar constituency in Dhar district in 2018 assembly elections.

Raising the issues of tribal, he said, “For years, tribals have been facing basic issues like drinking water. We need water filtration plants across Jhabua and Dhar due to excessive presence of fluoride in many villages.”

“Tribals are sent to jail and termed as thieves when they collect minor forest produce like mahua,” he alleged.

“We want economic development and this can be achieved if tribals are given the royalty for the minerals mined in their region,” he said.

“And for this we need to have our rule in our region,” he demanded.

Referring to a Supreme Court order, he said that gram panchayats and gram sabhas should be given community forest rights.

He also urged the state government to look into the matter of land disputes involving tribals.

Implementation of the fifth schedule is the main issue, he said, adding, but the government and the administration would always deny this right to tribals.

His relationship with Congress is reportedly strained as Alawa is opposed to candidature of Kantilal Bhuria from Jhabua constituency.

“Whether tribals support Bhuria will be decided in the elections, but we want to send young tribals, who can raise our issues in the parliament,” he had said after Bhuria’s candidature was announced.

Shahdol, Mandla, Khargone, Dhar, Jhabua and Betul constituencies in MP are dominated by tribals. In 2014, BJP had swept all the seats, except for Jhabua, which was won by Congress.

*Original article online at https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/jayas-founder-demands-tribal-self-rule/articleshow/68840237.cms

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