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 .
He is also former ‘Okra’ (chief) of ‘Hoda’ — the apex social body of the Jamatia — third largest tribal clan in Tripura. Presently he holds important portfolios in some RSS-affiliated tribal outfits of the northeast India.
Mr. Jamatia argued that the identity of the tribal clans was based on their age-old practice, nomenclature, character and belief. For that matter, tribals in Tripura are traditionally ‘sanatani’.
Though not named, he tried to hint at conversion of the tribe to Christianity. The MLA said none had voiced the issue in the past so his demand might not be taken well by sections of people.
Christians account for 4.35% in Tripura, according to an old data, and over 90% of the community members originally hailed from indigenous clans.
Significantly, two of the three tribal ministers in Manik Saha’s Cabinet are Christians and one is Buddhist. Mr. Jamatia was not inducted in the Council of Ministers of the second BJP-led government in Tripura which assumed office in March this year.
