Maharashtra: Tribal outfits hold protest march in Nashik to oppose plans to give ST status to Dhangars

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Hundreds of tribals reportedly held a protest march in Nashik district of Maharashtra on Thursday opposing any plan to give Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Dhangar community, reported the PTI.

According to the news agency, The protest march passed through Sadhugram in Tapovan, Panchvati and other areas like Ravivara Karanja and MG Road in the city, with participants carrying placards and shouting slogans.

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Giving Dhangars ST status is a ploy of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleged some of the protesters, who also shouted slogans against Union minister Bharti Pawar and MLC Gopichand Padalkar, both from the ruling party.

Dhangars already have quota under the Other Backward Classes category and giving them ST status would further shrink opportunities for tribals, the protesters claimed.

The memorandum submitted by the protesters to Governor Ramesh Bais and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde through the collector demanded that no decision on quota for Dhangars should be taken without the approval of the Tribal Advisory Committee.

The memorandum also said the report by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences on the Dhangar community must be tabled in the legislature for discussion and debate.

Incidentally, OBC outfits have been holding similar protests opposing any plan to give members of the Maratha community Kunbi certificates. Kunbis are categorised as OBCs in the state.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday announced that a Scheduled Tribes Commission will be set up on the lines of the National Commission for STs.

He also hinted at increasing the number of villages having a sizeable population of tribal communities which were earlier not part of any government schemes.

Chairing a meeting of officials and concerned ministers, the chief minister ordered a review of the current status of tribal population in various parts of the state, a statement said.

Following the review, new areas, including villages, will be notified as "aspirational" districts which could lead to an increase in the number of villages with a sizeable population of tribals than the existing ones.

At the meeting, Shinde approved the proposal to set up a dedicated commission for scheduled tribes which would be a statutory body, said an official.

(with PTI inputs)