As tribals have hogged the political space in Madhya Pradesh, Jai Adivasi Yuva Shakti (JAYS) a socio-ideological organisation of young tribal community members has specified the community’s basic requirements as the state is all set to undergo polls in 2023.
Dr Hiralal Alawa, the national convener of tribal outfit JAYS spoke to News18.com and specified the basic requirements of the ethnic people in MP and other states. The requirements of the organisation include –Community Forest Rights and implementation of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 to empower Gramsabhas in tribal regions. Dr Alawa emphasised that without the community forest rights, the tribal won’t be able to safeguard their identity and the implementation of PESA will offer them greater rights to Gram Sabhas and local bodies along with much-needed autonomy.
Founder of the JAYS, Dr Alawa’s organisation is offering young and independent leadership to the tribal community including tech-savvy and educated youths. He had left his job with All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi in 2016 to propagate this cause further. As JAYS could not register as a political party ahead of the 2018 assembly polls, Dr Alawa contested and won as Congress candidate on Manawar seat while another JAYS functionary Laxman Singh Dindore, a former bureaucrat had lost from Ratlam (rural) seat. With 47 out of 230 assembly seats falling in tribal regions in MP, organisations like JAYS always emerge as a potent threat whenever polls are around.
Here are excerpts from the exclusive chat with Dr Hiralal Alawa:
Q. Everyone seems to be talking in favour of tribals these days, what’s your take on this?
Both Congress and BJP have used the tribal community as vote bank till now as our community lacked leadership and depended on political parties to further our cause. As we (JAYS) have started to talk about our constitutional rights, identity and leadership, there is certain jitteriness among the political classes. All parties talk about tribals but why don’t they speak on issues like malnutrition, education, health issues, job related migration and forest rights in assemblies and parliament.
Q. What is the organizational growth status of JAYS?
Our membership base is around 5-10 lakh in around 15 states. Exact figures are not available as we are compiling the data of members of the last few years from different states. For 70 years we had socio-cultural movements but now we are working on developing political leadership. As an organization we wish to keep identity of the tribals intact and wish to keep religious tagging away as specified in the constitution.
Q. How is the implementation of PESA and Schedule V of constitution in tribal areas?
Dr Alawa – Literally there is no implementation of Schedule V provisions in MP and nine others tribal states. Though implementation is far better in VI schedule states — Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura through autonomous councils. Financial powers should be there in Schedule V states and this is why implementation of PESA is crucial which offers greater powers to Gram Sabhas and reduces interference of district collectors.
Q. Tribals have much on offer but what are the fundamental needs of the community?
Ethnic people account for around 1.75 crore in MP and land rights are the most crucial for them. Mostly they rely on forest produce but if the land is given to a corporate, locals have no choice but to migrate and this will slowly end their true identity. So community forest rights are crucial for them. Through Schedule V and PESA, financial and administration powers should be rested with Gram Sabhas so that they could preserve their cultural and natural identity.
Q. What is the next political goal for JAYS?
We are eyeing representation in the MP assembly in 2023 and in Lok Sabha in 2024 so that our people could put our views and issues strongly like I did after reaching in the MP assembly. We can go alone or could be with allying with any like-minded political party which will be decided in future. We are working on grooming youth leadership from within our community.
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