Tripura Rajya Upajati Ganamukti Parishad (GMP) has expressed grave concern over demand of delisting Christians from ST status raised by Janajati Suraksha Mancha.

Addressing a press conference at CPI(M) headquarters in Agartala on Monday afternoon, former minister and president of GMP, Naresh Jamatia said that Janajati Suraksha Mancha (JSM), a RSS affiliated tribal organization has announced to organize a rally in Agartala on coming Christmas day on December 25 next with demand of delisting Christians from Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

He said that GMP opposed this type of divisive communal programme on Christmas day, which is celebrated as a public holiday and festival in countries around the world.

“The demand of delisting Christians from ST list is unconstitutional and fixation of the date of rally on particular day is communal and provocative. It is our tradition that many non-Christians also celebrate the Christmas Day as ‘Bada Din’ every year. So the said anit-Christian programme of the JSM will disrupt the festival which will be against our tradition in the state,” said Jamatia.

He said that no religion should be disrupted in practicing religious customs and GMP always uphold secular principle of the country and it should be mentioned that when outlawed NLFT extremist group tried to prohibit Durga Puja and Laxmi Puja etc Hindu festivals in tribal areas, GMP launched protest movements in which a central committee member, Hirendra Jamatia and his wife murdered by the extremists.

ST list is prepared on the basis of backward ethnicities and not on the basis of any religion, thus the demand for delisting Christian is unjustified, said Jamatia.

He further cautioned that if the ST Christians are excluded from ST list, the tribal population will further be decreased and proportionate reservation Parliament and Assembly seats, in employment and education etc will also be reduced which will have disastrous effect on the tribals.

“Land alienation and eviction is one of the major problems in the tribals in the country, tribal land is not transferable to the non-tribals. If the Christian tribals lose their ST recognition, their land will be transferable to the non-tribals and it will pave the way of land alienation again, so their demand is suicidal for the tribals, opinioned Jamatia.

He added that Autonomous District Council (ADC) is now facing deprived of funds, Village Committee (VC) elections and own land allotment committees, as a result serious crisis is prevailing in the tribal areas.

“GMP has expressed its strong opinion that in order to ensure protection (Suraksha), all the tribals should work to overthrow the BJP government from the centre,” said Jamatia and added that they want to get more rights for the tribals, but on the contrary JSM’s demand will lead to losing the existing tribal rights and people should draw lessons from the Manipur violence, which is the result of BJP’s divisive politics.