Medha Patkar takes Narmada battle to UN

The Narmada Bachao Andolan leader could address the Commission, comprising 53 member states from all regions, because its proceedings provide for participation by NGOs. She was allowed to speak under the agenda item related to “rights of indigenous peoples.”

This is embarrassing as India does not officially recognise tribals as indigenous people. In keeping with the policy of discarding the historical theory of Aryan invasion, India’s stance is that other Hindus are no less indigenous than those who are classified as Scheduled Tribes.

But as per UN literature, India is home to the largest indigenous population in the world. Out of the indigenous population around the world of 300 million, the various scheduled tribes stretching from Gujarat to the North-East account for 70 million.

In its ongoing six-week annual session, Patkar pleaded with the UN body to send its Special Rapporteur on indigenous peoples, Rodolfo Stavenhagen of Mexico, to India to study the plight of the tribals affected by the construction of the Sardar Sarovar in Gujarat.

She urged the Commission to declare that in consonance with covenants signed by it, India should cease further construction till all the 40,000 affected families are settled. The Government did not exercise its right of reply.