SIR exercise poses risk of disenfranchisement of tribals, says party leader Dr Vikrant Bhuria
NEW DELHI — The Congress on Friday alleged that the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh was trying to do away with reservations, citing the example of the appointments in the junior judiciary where no tribal candidate was selected.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here on Friday, Chairman of the ST Department of the party Dr Vikrant Bhuria disclosed that in the recently declared results of the civil judge exam, no ST candidate was selected even though 121 posts were reserved for them. Similarly, he added, there was just one candidate who was selected from the SC category.
He said this was a systematic ploy of the BJP government to do away with the reservations for weaker sections. He demanded a high-level investigation into Civil Judge examination and also a re-conduct of the exam.
Referring to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, he said this adversely impacts tribals the most, and poses a risk of their disenfranchisement. He said that most of the tribal homes are empty during this period as people have gone out for work. He said those at home are mostly the elderly people who are not able to produce the required documents. As a result, he noted, there is a risk of their names being systematically deleted from the electoral rolls. In view of the high level of migration among tribals, he demanded the creation of a migrant policy for them.
Dr Bhuria also revealed that the BJP government in MP was cutting thousands of trees in Singrauli forests to facilitate the coal mining by the Adani group. He said the entire area had been converted into a garrison with hundreds of cops being deployed to crush any resistance by the tribals against the cutting of trees. He added that those protesting were being given notices, banished from the district and even sent to prison. He demanded a judicial inquiry into the entire matter.
