Kartik Oraon: Pioneering leader who strived to end reservations for the converted tribals

Shri. Kartik Oraon was a legendary Janjati leader hailed from Karounda Littatoli village of Gumla district of Present-day Jharkhand. He represented Lohardaga Parliamentary constituency thrice and had been a minister in the government led by Smt. Indira Gandhi. His entire life was committed to the cause of protection and upliftment of Scheduled Tribes People. After completion of his degree from Bihar Engineering College, Patna, he moved to England for further studies. He served the nation from various capacities as a promising engineer. But his mind was always thrilled to work for the more considerable interest of people belonging to the Scheduled tribe. Hence he joined politics in 1962.

He fought to safeguard the land alienation of tribes. It was because of his relentless effort that an Agricultural university was established in Ranchi. He was a crusader against the proselytising activities of Christian Missionaries.

Shri Kartik Oraon gave a clarion Call against converted persons taking benefits of genuine Scheduled Tribe members. He experienced converted persons taking away the facilities. It hurt him too much. With this anguish, he wrote a book in Hindi titled “Bees Varsh Kee Kali Raat”(Dark Nights of Twenty Years). The title of the book expressed the desperation of Scheduled Tribes after 20 years of Indian Independence.

During the pre-independence period, Janjatis’ rights had been curtailed through draconian laws, one after another, enacted by British. They were pushed out of their original abode, and their entry into the forest was restricted. The resources in their land were mercilessly extracted andtransported to Europe. Their life became pathetic during the British era. Manyrevolutionaries like Birsa Munda, Sidhu, Kano, Neelambar, Peetambar, Tilka Majhi, Veer Narayan, Shankar Sha and Raghunath Shah, Thalakkal Chandu etc. gotup against the injustice.

It was quite natural that there had been a high aspiration among the tribal youths of those days. As enshrined in the constitution, they expected that a lot would be done to their upliftment and welfare. When theywere put into a separate schedule for focused development, they thought their dark nights were about to vanish once and forever. But, when they saw that converted people were availing the benefits of Reservation Policy, keeping manyas just onlookers, they understood that dawn on their horizon is, yet, too far.

Leaders like Sardar Patel were true visionaries. The Advisory Committee constituted by Constituent Assembly on Minorities Rights, Fundamental Rights etc. headed by Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel had classified the minorities and explained that barring Anglo Indians, all other Christians of India wouldfall under the category of Indian Christians and they would not be given any benefit under Reservation Policy. Commenting on it, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar saidthat Muslims had been getting the benefit of protection starting from 1892 fora period of at least 60 years. Christians enjoyed the facilities since 1920 for 28 years. Harijans had been getting benefits since 1935 for a shorter period, and he recommended it to be continued further. Referring to Scheduled Tribe, Dr Ambedkar further said “I am ready to give the benefits to the scheduled tribe for a longer period” It clearly shows that the Indian Christians enjoying the benefits of the reservation is unconstitutional and hence, highly condemnable.

With this anguish but with high expectation, Shri Kartik Oraon approached Smt. Indira Gandhi. He submitted a memorandum citing his deep pain and suggesting certain amendments. 235 members of Lok Sabha shared his pain and signed in support of his memorandum. They had signed in support of the recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Orders (Amendment) Bill, 1967. The amendment suggested in the memorandum was, “3. Notwithstanding anything contained in Paragraph 2, no person who has given up tribal faith or faiths and has embraced either Christianity or Islam shall be deemed to be a member of any Scheduled Tribes”. (Vide Para 2A, Page 29, Line 38 of Schedule II of the report) But unfortunately, his voice with a support of 235 members of Lok Sabha was left unheard, and the memorandum was kept in abeyance. Congress, under the leadership of Indira Gandhi, did not pay any heed to the genuine demand which was raised in the interest of genuine Tribesmen. She was under the pressure of MPs from Nagaland and Meghalaya who were Christian converts, elected from reserved ST seats.

After Kartik Oraon, no tribal leaders have raised the issue. There was not enough awareness among the youths belonging to the genuine tribal group about the memorandum, and it never came into light for almost three decades. Slowly and gradually, the awareness started picking up among the youth, and they once again felt the necessity of preventing others from taking the benefit meant to genuine tribes.

In 2006, a frontal organisation was formed in the name of ‘Janjati Suraksha Manch (JSM)’ under the leadership of Late Morensingh Purti, a veteran Janjati leader and also a former Member of Parliament with a sole objective of delisting converted people from the List of Scheduled Tribes. JSM followed the footprints of Late: Kartik Oraon.

JSM fought against the injustice of siphoning the benefits by converted persons who are educationally and economically well off in comparison with the genuine members of STs.

JSM conducted a Signature Campaign in 2009 in this connection. 27.67 lakh people above 18 years of age from all over India signed the memorandum during the campaign. A team of tribal leaders led by late Shri Jagdevram Oraon met Smt. Pratibha Devi Singh Patil, the then President of India and submitted the memorandum seeking delisting of converted persons from ST. But the second effort also went in vain as the then UPA government did not show any sign of cognizance of the signatures obtained from remote areas of our country.

Dr J.K. Bajaj, Director, Centre for Policy Studies, had initiated a study on actual beneficiaries of provisions under reservation and presented a report. Alarming Facts and figures were unearthed. It showed the large scale drainage of benefits in favour of converted persons.

40 years have passed since the demise of Late Shri Kartik Oraon. October 29, 2020, is his 96th birth anniversary day. JSM resolved to celebrate Kartikji’s birth anniversary in a big way this year by highlighting the contents of his memorandum once again, with the hope that it could help to heal the widening wound. This time, the memorandum will be submitted to DCs addressing both Honorable President and Honorable Prime Minister of India at more than 200 tribal districts. It is quite unfortunate that after 73 years of Independence still Christians (Converted STS) are grabbing the lion’s share of benefits meant for Scheduled Tribes.

JSM appeals to the government that there should be clarity in provisions of reservation as in the case of  Scheduled Castes that the moment a person embraced either Christianity or Islam his/her constitutional status would be changed and he/she shall not remain a member of Scheduled Tribe.

Recently, Dr Nishikant Dube has raised this issue in Lok Sabha during Zero Hour. He, too, has said that like schedule casts, converted members of the Scheduled tribe also should be barred from taking benefits of  Reservation Policy. Some Members of Parliament have, for the first time after Shri Kartik Oraon raised the issue in Lok Sabha. The voice of resentment, thus,once again echoed on the walls of Lok Sabha. This is, in fact, a matter of great satisfaction. Hope the present government at the Centre will payattention to the upcoming voices of “50-year-old demand” and fulfilthe aspirations of genuine