Social activist Medha Patkar believes that the BJP has fielded tribal leader Draupadi Murmu as the NDA's presidential candidate only because the community forms a major part of the vote bank but the party 🌼is not pro-Adivasi.
Wondering what could Murmu who could not brꦿing electricity to her native village, or Yashwant Sinha, the Presidential nominee of major opposition parties and a former union finance minister, could do after being elected, Patkar claimed that a President becomes the rubber stamp 🔜of the ruling party.
"They (the BJP) want a tribal person like her and celebrate Birsa Munda Jayanti because they know that Adivasis form a major part of the vote bank in several states like Madhya Pradesh. They cannot claim to be pro-Advasi by not granting them 𒊎forest rights and planning to hand over forests to the corporates," Patkar said.
Referring to 𒀰the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bhopal, the capital of MP, to celebrate the birth anniversary of revered tribal leader and freedom fighter Birsa Munda in November last year, she claimed that there were incidents of violence against tribal people at that time.
&qu💧ot;Modi♌-ji went to Bhopal and spent more than Rs 30 crore for a one-day function. At the same time, incidents of lynching of tribal people had taken place in Madhya Pradesh itself," said Patkar, who has been fighting for the cause of tribal communities.
The founder member of Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) also alleged that the BJP has not implemented laws such as Jawaharlal Nehru's Tribal Panchs🍒heel, Panchayat Extension to Scheduled🧔 Areas (PESA) Act and Forest Rights Act.
The Tribal Panchsheel was the guiding principle to formulate policies for the indige🧜nous communities o🦩f the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
"If they (the BJP 🐷government) truly respect the Adivasi community, they should implement the laws. They need to respect the struggle (of the tribal people) and grant them their rights and not just celebrate (tribal festivals)," she stated.
Other than electoral politics, there is also a relationship between the state and the people whi🔯ch matters. This relationship is becoming undemocratic and violent, she said.
Patkar also raised doubts about how much Murmu,🅰 if elected the country's next President, would be able to work for the rights of the tribal and Dalit comm♉unities.
She said, "Not only the President but also a Gov🌌ernor has the rights in the Constitution to protect the interest of Adivasis and Dalits. He or she can stop the applica⭕tion of any law which is against the interest of the SC and ST communities. But will she really be able to do her best?"
One has to🍌 understand tha🐎t the President becomes the rubber stamp of the ruling party, Patkar asserted.
She said that it is unfortunate that political parties select candidates fo﷽r the presidential el👍ection despite it being a non-party battle.
"Do not know what Yas꧟hw🅺ant Sinha's economic paradigm is going to do or what powers will Droupadi Murmu, who could not get electricity in her own village, have,” Patkar said.
The Presidential elec♕tion will be held on July 18. Elected MPs and MLAs constitute t🍃he electoral college. Nominated MPs and MLAs and members of legislative councils cannot vote in the presidential election.
(With PTI inputs)
