The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : ST categorisation major issue in Khanapur

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Tuesday, May 27, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

ST categorisation major issue in Khanapur

S. Harpal Singh

Primitive hill tribes back Congress, while Lambadas root for TRS

There are an estimated 60,000 hill tribes, while Lambadas number 27,000
Senior TDP leaders reportedly unhappy over selection of candidate

UTNOOR (ADILABAD Dt.): Telangana sentiment, which is the main factor in several other constituencies, has been overshadowed by an equally sensitive issue – categorisation of Scheduled Tribes – in Khanapur (ST) Assembly constituency.

Primitive hill tribes of Gond, Kolam, Pardhan, Thotti, Naikpod etc. have vowed to support the Congress candidate Mesram Nago Rao, who is a Gond.

This resolve is aimed at expressing their resentment at being marginalised by the more advanced Lambada tribes, who belong to the plains.

Estimated to number 60,000, the hill tribes have earlier sided with the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) even if its candidates were Lambadas.

This time however, they want to cast their vote for the Gond candidate to clearly demonstrate their aspirations and the need for classification of tribals into A, B,C, and D categories for purposes of employment and education.

If the issue of categorisation has united the primitive tribes, it has also succeeded in bringing about unity among the Lambada voters.

0The tribe has reportedly decided to support TRS candidate A. Govind Naik to offset the impact of the unity among the hill tribes. In this whole game, the loser appears to be Telugu Desam Party’s (TDP) Suman Rathod, a Lambada who is the wife of Adilabad Zilla Parishad Chairman Ramesh Rathod.

Gonds and other primitive tribes are concentrated in Sirpur (U), Jainoor, Kerameri and Utnoor mandals and the Lambadas in Utnoor, Khanapur and Kadem mandals.

The Lambada voters number an estimated 27,000 while the rest of the nearly 1.6 lakhs voters belong to Scheduled Castes and other Backward Classes.

The Scheduled Caste voters, particularly the Malas, have declared their support to the Congress.

Although the TDP has a strong base in Khanapur and Kadem mandals, there is some resentment among the cadres over allocation of the party ticket to Ramesh Rathod’s wife.

Senior partymen felt they deserved an opportunity to contest since it was clear at the beginning that the ZP Chairman’s paper would be rejected because of his conviction in a criminal case. Even if the seniors do not display their resentment, TDP youth may join the TRS bandwagon.

Job scheme popular

On the development front, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme has been popular among the tribals and will help the Congress. In essence, it is a fight between Telangana sentiment and the issue of categorisation of STs.

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