Halba Koshti launch counter-attack against other communities accorded ST status

NAGPUR, DEC 6: Contending for a scheduled tribe ST status for nearly two decades, Halba Koshti organisations here have now launched a co...

NAGPUR, DEC 6: Contending for a scheduled tribe ST status for nearly two decades, Halba Koshti organisations here have now launched a counter-attack on other tribal communities by questioning the ST status accorded to them.

Their latest salvo against the Gond and Rajgond tribes almost resulted in a clash between the two groups at the tribal welfare office here on Saturday.

Entirely urban-based, with a large presence in Nagpur city, the Koshti community of weavers makes a very attractive vote bank. Several local politicians have time and again taken up their cause.

Former Nagpur member of Parliament Banwarilal Purohit, who shifted from the Congress to the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP and then back, has consistently voiced demands in favour of the Koshtis being included in the scheduled tribes. Central Nagpur MLA Anees Ahmed, in whose constituency the weavers reside, is another to do the same. The latest to join the list is Shiv Sena MP from neighbouring Ramtek constituency, Subhosh Mohite, who is also the Nagpur district Sena chief.

However, all attempts at including this community in the scheduled tribes have been foiled by the strong lobby of adivasi MLAs who cut across party lines at the slightest sign of threat to their reservations. Former MLA and minister Baburao Madavi has been at the forefront of preventing the psuedo-tribals8217; from getting any benefits.

He has been instrumental in preparing a solid case with the government and with the courts of law to precisely determine who can and cannot be included in the scheduled tribes. His efforts have yielded results and various communities, despite political assurances, have been unable to derive any benefits as scheduled tribes.

The Halba-Koshtis are among them, as are the Gowaris. Despite the huge incident of 114 members of a Gowari morcha being killed in a stampede during a state legislature session in Nagpur in November 1994 and despite all the assurances given by the then chief minister, Manohar Joshi, this community is still bereft of any special benefits.

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The Koshtis, who claim that they belong to the Halba8217; community which is listed in the schedule, have been equally unsuccessful despite numerous protests, demonstrations and agitations.

8220;If the Koshtis are Halbas, then where are the 2.5 lakh people noted as Koshtis8217; living in Nagpur district in the census reports,8221; questions Madavi. 8220;Have they disappeared overnight from the face of the earth?8221;

It is owing to the pressure mounted by the powerful lobby of tribal MLAs that the government of Maharashtra has been making ever-stricter the norms for issuing caste certificates. Going by these norms it has been proven that at least about 40,000 individuals in Maharashtra have drawn undeserved benefits. Madavi strongly condemns the Shiv Sena-BJP government for a decision to pardon8217; these pseudo-tribals8217; even though they have been exposed.

Koshti leader Vasant Parsheonikar, who is now the Nagpur unit president of the Nationalist Congress Party NCP, has demanded cancellation of one such GR of 1996 which imposes strict conditions on the issuing of caste certificates.

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In their counter-offensive, the Koshtis have now started to question the credentials of those communities who are listed as scheduled tribes. Their organisation, the Adivasi Halba Mahasangh, staged demonstrations on Saturday in front of the local tribal welfare office demanding the exclusion of Gond and Rajgond communities. Police intervention prevented them from clashing with a group of the rival community.

It is their contention that the official list of scheduled tribes mentions Gond Rajgond8217; as a single tribe. They interpret this entry to mean that separately the Gond and Rajgond communities find no place in the schedule. They point towards the exclusion of the Gowaris because the list mentions Gond Gowari8217; as one tribe without any hyphen or comma in between.

A co-ordination committee of different tribal organisations has countered this claim. Their argument is based on a state government letter to all the district-level authorities asking for the Gond8217; and Rajgond8217; communities to be considered separately as scheduled tribes and their members given facilities accordingly.

The committee has deplored politicisation of the sensitive issue and demanded action again Sena MP Subhodh Mohite for instigating the 8220;bogus adivasis.8221;