A major victory: National Front for Tribal Self Rule (India)

John H. Stevens, Jr. (jhs14@cornell.edu)
Fri, 8 Mar 1996 08:13:17 -0500

Thank You to all those who responded to the Call for Support for
the National Front for Tribal Self Rule (India). If you recall,
they were on hunger strike demanding the implementation of the
Bhuriya Commission Report that guaranteed autonomy for tribal
people to regulate natural and common resources, to have their own
judicial, and other administrative arrangements, and have control over
the finances generated by their regions, and the development aid
owed to them. THEY WON! after nine days of hunger strike in New
Delhi on all of these demands and more. Read on for the details.
This message contains:
1) a statement from the convener of the Front, detailing the
Government response and the Front's decisions.
2) a letter from us congratulating the Front on its victory, and
stating our full solidarity with the Front's objectives, to be
sent to the Delhi office of the Front, with copies to the Prime
Minister and President's office. We'd like as many people as
possible to sign on to this letter, so please send email to
kamat@vm2.cis.pitt.edu if you want your name on. We hope to
collect an impressive number of signatures to attest the wide
support such struggles for a genuine democracy have.
3) we ask people to also send in letters or faxes to the Indian
Embassy at Washington D.C. congratulating the Govt. of India for
its positive response to the Front's demands. Fax nos. and
addresses at the bottom of the message.
_________________________________________________________________
1) Statement from Pradip Prabhu, Convener for the National Front
for Tribal Self-Rule
Dear Friends,
We have won a Major Victory. The Government has agreed to
introduce a bill incorporating the recommendations of the Bhuriya
Committee either in the current session of Parliament or through a
Presidential Ordinance. But we have to keep on the pressure on the
Government through all our friends, wherever they are, to ensure
that the promise becomes a reality.
The fast was an experience by itself, and its outcome was beyond
our wildest expectations. For the first five days, even the
elements seemed to give us a cold shoulder, the press was as cold
as the weather and even friends, while being extremely sympathetic
to the cause, were trying to dissuade us continuing the fast with
the argument that with havala and other rackets on Parliament's
agenda, the time was totally inappropriate. The first person to
change the flowing tide was Mr. Chaturanand Mishra, Rajya Sabha
M.P. from the CPI, a seasoned and uncorrupt politician. He visited
us together with A. B. Bardhan, Dy. Gen. Sec of the Party and Mr.
D. Raja, Member of the National Executive CPI. Com. Mishra took an
unequivocal stand. His party would extend total support the cause
of tribal self rule. He asserted that he would raise the question
in Parliament, if the bill in line with the recommendations of the
Bhuriya Committee was introduced in Parliament, his party would
support it totally, he speak to the PM on behalf of his party and
inform the press and other parties of the national and the left
fronts accordingly. He was true to his promise. The next day Mr.
Rabi Rai, of the Samta Party and Ex. Speaker of the Lok Sabha,
then Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan, Janata Dal M.P. visited us and
confirmed their support like that of Com. Mishra. We feel, Com.
Mishra's visit and the steps he took was a turning point in the
whole process. On 24th. February, late in the night Mr. Arvind
Netam, ex Minister of State for Agriculture and Tribal M.P. from
Bastar came with the information that the Minister of State for
Urban Employment, Poverty Alleviation and Parliamentary Affairs,
Government of India, Mr. S. S. Ahluwalia was to visit Samta Sthal
the next day with the Press and Doordarshan with a concrete offer
from Government. Mr. Netam was not certain about the details of
the offer. Accordingly we sat and decided what would be our
demands and what was non-negotiable. The introduction of a
legislation or a Presidential Ordinance was one non negotiable
while powers to the gram shabha directly to manage the community
and its natural resources was the other. On the 25th Mr. Ahluwalia
came to the pandal where we were on fast and gave us a firm
assurance that we found unbelievable yet could find no reasons to
reject. From the content and the form of the message, it appeared
that Mr. Ahluwalia was only the bearer of the message and not its
author.

After listening to the 15 adivasi leaders representing every tribal
community participating in the indefinite fast, Mr. Ahluwalia said "I
sympathize with your sentiments. Your demands are perfectly
legitimate. The government is aware of the Constitutional vacuum
existing in the tribal areas. The government is sorry for such a state
of affairs and had decided to take steps to correct the same. The
Government has decided to introduce a bill in line with the
recommendations of the Bhuriya Committee in the current session of
Parliament, failing which the bill will be promulgated as a
Presidential Ordinance." Fearing a catch somewhere or that the
proposed bill would be bogus, we insisted that Dr. B. D. Sharma
(former commissioner for tribals, now member of Front) be associated
with the preparation of the proposed bill, the Minister readily
agreed. After which he requested us to break our fast. As Convener of
the Front, I repeated his statement verbatim and asked for a
confirmation. He was a bit offended at my request but confirmed it was
totally accurate. The fasting adivasi representatives agreed to break
the fast on the condition that he would ensure that the government was
true to its word. The Minister then gave a long interview on
Doordarshan, which was a repeat of what he had stated to
us. Doordarshan carried the same in its news report in five bulletins
that night, though the press was lukewarm. After we broke the fast, we
realized that we had won a major victory, and it looked like we had
come to the end of a long journey on 25th of February, the 9th day of
the indefinite fast of 32 tribal representatives. But we realized, we
had just reached the correct starting point for the long journey
ahead. We are at the stage when we have to ensure that promises are
fulfilled and turned into actual facts. In accordance with this belief
and a clear understanding that demands cannot be granted but must be
taken by the tribal people, the participants in the fast decided on
the following:

1. We will not wait for a law or ordinance, but will begin
implementing self rule in all manners possible.
2. We will continue satyagraha and intensify the stir where possible.
3. We will continue to pressurize Parliament and the Government,
through all legal means,to pass the law which will actually be a
"ratification" of an existing popular practice.
4. We will contact as many other formal and informal groups/organisations/
agencies associated with the tribals and try to associate them with the
struggle of the front.
5. We will contact our friends and sympathizers to send letters/telegrams/
faxes to the PM to promulgate the law.
6. Get in touch with all supporters and activists in all manners possible
and ask them to put pressure on the Prime Minister.

Signed For further details:
Pradip D. Prabhu National Convener, Sanjay Anand
National Front for Tribal Self Rule, swa2@cornell.edu
A/37 Nagli Rajapur, Nizamuddin (E), Tel: 607-253-5420
New Delhi 110 013. Or, Sangeeta Kamat
Telephone: 91-11-464 3997 or kamat@vm2.cis.pitt.edu
91-2528-22760 Tel: 212-690-7145
_________________________________________________________________
2) Joint Letter of Solidarity from all of us, everywhere

The National Front for Tribal Self Rule,
c/o Advocate Pradip Prabhu,
A/37 Nagli Rajapur, Nizamuddin (E)
New Delhi 110013

Dear Friends,
We are elated at the news of the victorious conclusion of the
hunger strike which all of you undertook in an uncompromising
manner. We are wholly in support of your struggle for the
autonomous re-organization of life, including the resources of
your regions along the principles of democracy and social justice.
We agree with your decision to implement self-rule in all manners
possible, and will continue to apply pressure on the Government of
India for the formal promulgation of the legislation guranteeing
you these rights.
There are many of us here who are actively in support of the
struggles of indigenous, tribal and other subjugated peoples, who are
organizing themselves in many different regions of the world. Your
victory will thus be a tremendous inspiration for all in continuing
and accelerating such struggles. As your statement says, this is
only the beginning and not the end of the struggle for
self-determination and justice. We pledge our support to the Front,
and will continue to monitor the responses of the government and other
powerful lobbies to the initiatives of the Front in realizing its
democratic guarantees.
In solidarity, (signed)
(U can add your name to this letter by sending email to kamat@vm2.cis.pitt.edu)
__________________________________________________________________

3) The Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narasimha Rao
India Fax nos. (011) 91 11 3016857 or 3019817
Washington DC Fax nos. 202-939-7027

___________________________End of Message________________________

Best regards,

John H. Stevens, Jr.
Department of Anthropology
Cornell University

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