Ranchi: Tribal groups opposing the Kudmi community’s demand for scheduled tribe status are staging separate protests, highlighting divisions within the movement. While the Adiwasi Bachao Morcha has planned a rally on October 17 at Prabhat Tara Ground in Dhurwa, another faction led by Ajay Tirki Singh, the Adiwasi Astitva Bachao Morcha, will hold its own rally on October 12 at Morabadi Football Ground.
Ajay Tirki Singh said representatives from tribal organizations in Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Bihar are expected to participate in the Morabadi rally. When asked why there are two separate platforms for the same issue, he explained that the divisions are ideological. The Adiwasi Astitva Bachao Morcha maintains that only the central government has the authority to reject the Kudmi demand, whereas the Adiwasi Bachao Morcha seeks to pressure the state government. He emphasized that courts and the TRAI report have already clarified that the final decision rests with the central government and that the Kudmi community’s demand has been dismissed.
Tirki accused Prem Sahi Munda of rejecting a joint platform, claiming he opposed it because speeches against the state government would be made, whereas the Astitva Morcha wants to focus pressure on the central government. Tirki added that his group opposed the Kudmi demand during the Raghubar Das government in 2018 and again staged protests on September 14 this year. He also accused the Adiwasi Bachao Morcha of being a “B-team” of the BJP, claiming its leaders avoid criticizing the central government on the issue.
Criticising statements made by Sheetal Ohdar, linked to the Kudmi agitation, Tirki called claims about needing reservations in planning and elections “baseless” and suggested that such concerns should be formally communicated to the central government and made public. Tirki further targeted JMM and JLK parties, predicting that both would not win a single seat in the 2029 elections if they continue to ignore tribal issues, underlining the importance of tribal matters in state politics.