NEW DELHI: Dissatisfied with the Question Hour reply of Tribal Affairs Minister P.R. Kyndia on the delay in introducing the amended Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forests Rights) Bill, 2005, a determined opposition, along with members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), forced the Government on Monday to agree to a half-an-hour discussion in the matter on Tuesday.

Amidst pandemonium in the House, Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat ruled that he was postponing the question for reply to Tuesday. "The Minister should reply to members' queries after half-an-hour discussion tomorrow [on Tuesday]," he said.

The issue took a turn when Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav expressed his dissatisfaction with the Minister's reply to CPI (M) member Matilal Sarkar's supplementary and charged him with evading the issue. "The ruling class is more worried about tigers, while the tribals who have been living for centuries in the forests have no voice. That is why all the dams are being built there and all the multi-nationals and corporate sector are headed there."

Mr. Yadav sought to know why the recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) set up on the Bill were not being implemented. The entire opposition supported him with several members seeking pointed answers from the Government. Two Ministers were seen prompting Mr. Kyndia to say that the Bill would be introduced in the next session of Parliament but he gave no commitment.

CPI (M) leader Brinda Karat said she was on the JPC that had three months ago unanimously recommended that the amended Bill be introduced. Hundreds of representations from the five concerned Ministries (Environment and Forests, Tribal Affairs, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Social Justice and Empowerment) and over 45 direct representations had been received by the JPC. "But tribals are not on the political scene of this country. We are deeply agitated on this issue. Question of minor forest produce and land rights are involved. The Environment Ministry's circular on tribal and forest dwellers rights is in conflict with the Supreme Court's order that has taken away the minor forest produce rights [from tribals]."

An agitated Brinda Karat came close to the well of the house charging the Government with "sabotaging" the Bill. Once the JPC had unanimously decided the issue, where was the question of setting up a Group of Ministers (GoM) on it, she asked?

The Minister said the Government was trying to expedite the matter for which consultations were held recently. The GoM was set up to decide whether the amended Bill should allow for (regularisation of) land rights of tribal or it should also include non-tribal dwellers.

This led to another round of vociferous protests from opposition members prompting Mr. Shekhawat to ask the Minister to specify the opinion of the Government on the JPC recommendations. Instead, the Law Minister intervened to say that one of the recommendations of the JPC was to include non-tribal forest dwellers (in the Bill). "We are discussing whether the Bill should have only tribal focus or forest-dwellers focus."

"Let the house discuss tomorrow [on Tuesday]," the chair ruled.

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