Guwahati: Assam Pradesh “Janajati Dharma Sangskriti Suraksha Manch” is organising a massive rally “Chalo Dispur”, on February 12, 2023, at Khanapara Field, demanding the Delisting of converted ST’s names from ST lists.
Manch, in a press meet in Guwahati, informed that more than one lakh tribal people will participate from various districts (30) of Assam wearing their traditional attires.
Religious conversion in India is continuously posing great threats to the ST people of India since pre-Independence. The conversions of tribals of Assam by foreign religions are not a new event, but in the last few decades, the conversion rate has increased drastically. Particularly the scheduled tribe people are the easiest prey or victim of conversions in India, mainly targeted by the highly communal theocratic foreign religious groups.
Janajati Dharma Sangskriti Suraksha Manch feels that such conversions are affecting tribal communities like slow poisons- a silent killer, and the poison has started killing their original belief and faiths, culture, customs and rituals performed in the Birth, Marriage and Death of a person.
They further said that the purpose of reservation provisions in the Indian constitution for scheduled tribes in Article 342 is to protect and preserve a tribal way of life, culture, customs, rituals etc., as a whole and to uplift the listed ST’s socio-economic conditions by giving them reservations in education, jobs, elections etc. Article 371 of our constitution prevents even the parliament from making Acts and laws which affect the way of life and culture of certain tribal areas.
The fundamental purpose of the tribal reservation becomes meaningless when the tribe rejects their original faiths, culture, customs etc. and converts to another religion. JDSSM, Assam further questions that, when a person changes his faith and is converted to another religion, how he could maintain the original- culture, traditions and way of life followed by the community.
Is one who loses the community’s identity eligible to avail of the benefits extended for protecting and maintaining their original identity?
Faiths and Rituals (Birth, Marriage and death) are the fundamental elements or characteristics or identity of any community/ tribe.
Manch further mentioned that Faith and Culture are inseparable; if separated, they will become like- Body without a soul, a Tree without roots, Flower without fragrance. So Double Benefits (ST & Minority) taken by many Converted St’s are unconstitutional and immoral.
Therefore to secure the ST community’s existence with their original culture, customs, rituals and languages, Assam Pradesh “Janajati Dharma Sangskriti Suraksha Manch” is organising a massive rally “Chalo Dispur” on February 12 2023, at Khanapara Field at 10.00 am. Where more than one lakh tribal people will participate from various districts (30) of Assam wearing their traditional attires.
JDSSM, Assam also mentioned that they are not against any religion or caste, but to protect our “identity with dignity and originality”, they are demanding “Delisting of converted ST’s names from ST lists, which are not following prescribed tribe’s- culture customs, rituals etc. by amending Article 342 and equalise with Article 341 for Scheduled caste (if from ST lists any SC person being converted to any other religion, automatically the person get delisted from SC reservation). A memorandum will be sent to the honourable President and the Prime Minister of India for the same.
