TAG: GS 2: POLITY
THE CONTEXT: Recently, the Bhil community raised their demand for a separate Bhil Pradesh and gathered at a large rally held in Rajasthan’s Mangarh Dham.
EXPLANATION:
- The BJP’s minister for tribal area development, Babulal Kharadi, agreed that smaller states are better for development.
- But he was against the establishment of a caste-based state, arguing that this would encourage other communities to make similar demands, upsetting social harmony.
What is ‘Bhil Pradesh’?
- The demand for a separate tribal state in western India was previously put forward by regional parties such as the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP).
- The BTP was formed in 2017 in Gujarat, with this issue as a major agenda.
- The Bhil community has been demanding that 49 districts be carved out of the four states to establish Bhil Pradesh.
- Bhil social reformer and spiritual leader Govind Guru first raised the demand for a separate state for tribals back in 1913.
- This was after the Mangarh massacre, which took place six years before Jallianwalla Bagh and is sometimes referred to as the “Adivasi Jallianwala”.
- It saw hundreds of Bhil tribals being killed by British forces on November 17, 1913, in the hills of Mangarh on the Rajasthan-Gujarat border.
- “The sacrifice of the tribals in 1913 wasn’t just for Bhakti movement but for the demand of Bhil Pradesh.”
- “Post-Independence, the demand for Bhil Pradesh was raised repeatedly”.
- Over the decades, the demand was raised and amplified.
But why do the tribals want a separate state?
- Earlier, the Dungarpur, Banswara, Udaipur region in Rajasthan and Gujarat, MP, etc. was part of a single entity.
- But post-Independence, the tribal majority regions were divided by the political parties, so that the tribals don’t organise and unite.
- According to the 2011 census, tribals comprise almost 14% of Rajasthan’s population and are mainly concentrated in the Vagad region, comprising Pratapgarh, Banswara Dungarpur and parts of Udaipur districts.
- Several Union governments brought various “laws, benefits, schemes, and committee reports” on tribals over time, but went slow on their execution and implementation.
- For instance, The Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, aimed to decentralize governance and empower gram sabhas in tribal areas.
- However, its implementation has been sluggish, with many tribals still unaware of its provisions 25 years later.
- Many tribal parties in the region have emerged over the years on the planks of empowering their community.
- Some have also been vocally opposed to the BJP and the Congress, claiming the two national parties have been unable to fulfill the Bhils’ demands and merely used them for political gains.
What is the current demand status?
- The Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) was established in 2023 amidst internal divisions among BTP leaders, garnering significant backing and uniting tribal votes.
- Similar in ideology to BTP, BAP has grown to be a significant regional force, with three MLAs and one MP held in Rajasthan at the moment. BAP leaders place a strong emphasis on their unique tribal culture and reject Hinduism and the influence of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
- They contend—supported by certain rulings from the Supreme Court—that Adivasis are not Hindus and have their own set of customary laws.
- At the recent Mangarh Dham rally, tribal activists encouraged tribal women to reject Hindu customs like wearing mangalsutra and applying sindoor, demonstrating this cultural assertion.
