Former Minister and BJP MLA Ram Pada Jamatia on Friday triggered a controversy by suggesting that converting tribals should be dropped from the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category. He said an indigenous community member automatically became a religious minority after he or she eschewed traditional ‘sanatani’ practice and ritual.
“I believe even the constitutional provisions do not allow anyone to take advantage of ST after conversion. There is a need to look into the whole issue”, Mr. Jamatia, who has a strong RSS connection, told The Hindu .
