Latest news with #Adivasi
India Gazette
25 minutes ago
- Business
- India Gazette
"Need to differentiate between race horse, wedding horse, and langda horse": Rahul Gandhi on plans to revamp party's Madhya Pradesh unit
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], June 4 (ANI): Seeking to revamp the party's Madhya Pradesh unit as part of party's Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday used the example of horses to differentiate between workers and leaders who are slogging for the party and those who are not and need to retire. Rahul Gandhi, who is Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, first illustrated the difference between a 'wedding horse' and a 'race horse' and how state sometimes party leaders fit one for the other, resulting in total mismatch and electoral losses. He also talked of 'unfit horses' and on the need for tired party leaders to make way for younger lot. He said those who cannot slog should not remain there as stumbling blocks. 'Now we have to differentiate between a race horse and a wedding horse and lame (langda) district president has come here, and there will be some of you who work for the Congress party with full strength and there will be some who are a little tired or who are not in a good mood, who are taking too much tension. Now we have to differentiate between a race horse and a wedding horse. Earlier, I used to say that there are two types. Kamal Nath had said that the Congress party sometimes sends a race horse to the wedding procession and sometimes makes the wedding horse stand in the race line. But there is a third category, which is a lame (langda) horse, so we have to differentiate. We have to retire the lame horse, so this change has to be brought,' he said. Congress has faced successive electoral defeats in Madhya Pradesh. Rahul Gandhi talked of empowering the district presidents, making them a fulcrum of party's revival. He gave an inkling of the work expected from the new district chiefs. 'The new district president will be different from the previous will measure their performance in an objective way, whether votes are increasing in local body, MLA, and MP elections. Wherever there is an attack on Congress ideology, if a Dalit, Adivasi or backward class, poor general caste woman is beaten up or suppressed, if Congress party is standing there or there is a good relationship between worker and leader,' he said. (ANI)
Time of India
6 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
Dad bangs girl's head on floor for crying, killing her
Navi Mumbai: A 40-year-old man residing in an Adivasi hamlet in Pen taluka, Raigad, was arrested after he killed his one-year-old daughter by banging her head on the floor as he was irritated by her crying. The incident occurred on Sunday. A murder case was registered against the accused, Suresh Dore, who was booked under section 103(1) of BNS, along with Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. Prasad Pandhare, SI, Wadkhal, said Dore had four children from three wives who left him as he would beat them after coming home drunk. — George Mendonca
Indian Express
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
As Chhattisgarh tribal leader Arvind Netam heads for RSS event, why it isn't good news for Congress
In Chhattisgarh's political terrain, where tribal votes are a decisive factor, an RSS invitation to senior tribal leader Arvind Netam to an annual event at its Nagpur headquarters has sparked intense speculation. The former Union Minister in Indira Gandhi's Cabinet, who is from the Bastar region, will be the chief guest at the Sangh's 'Karyakarta Vikas Varg-Dwithiya Samapan Samaroh' on June 5. It marks the end of the three-year training period for swayamsevaks, or the Sangh cadre. It is the same event that former President Pranab Mukherjee attended in 2018, leading to criticism from some sections of the Congress. With the invitation leading to questions about political motives, the 83-year-old tribal leader said he planned to attend to maintain good ties with the Sangh and further the cause of tribal rights in Bastar. 'I am going to the RSS event as I want strong communication with the RSS to make them understand tribal issues. The biggest issue right now in Bastar is conversion. I believe if the RSS supports us, then the BJP government will pay heed to our demands. We are the ones who first invited RSS leaders to our tribal event in December last year. Also, months ago, I met Mohan Bhagwat in Raipur and discussed tribal issues,' Netam told The Indian Express. Netam said he would also discuss the need for a separate code for tribals in the Census. 'We have our own culture and religious practices. We do not want to be defined under any religion; we want our code. Due to talks, gradual changes are taking place. They (the RSS) are gradually calling us Adivasi and not Vanvasi,' he said. An influential tribal leader in Bastar, Netam still retains a lot of political heft. Months before the Assembly elections in 2023, he had quit the Congress. This came after he floated his political party, Hamar Raj, which he carved out of the Sarva Adivasi Samaj (SAS), an umbrella group of tribal organisations. At the time, Netam had said the formation of Hamar Raj was similar to that of the Sangh that has '50-odd independent groups under it, including the BJP'. In the elections, the Hamar Raj appeared to have hurt the Congress in at least two Assembly constituencies and is also estimated to have damaged the Congress's chances in the Kanker parliamentary seat in the Lok Sabha elections. Netam's apparent move towards the Sangh comes when the Congress is already struggling to regain tribal votes. When the party had stormed to power in 2018, it had swept the Scheduled Tribe (ST)-reserved constituencies, winning 25 of the 29 seats while the BJP had got three. However, failure to effectively address tribal issues led to it losing ground among Adivasis and in 2023, the Congress saw its tally of ST seats drop to 11 while the BJP bagged 17. The Congress, however, argues that even if Netam moves to the BJP, it won't have any adverse effect on its political fortunes. 'He (Netam) took a different political route and left the party. He is a big tribal leader, but we know the RSS's view of tribals. The RSS terms tribals as vanvasi (forest dwellers) and not Adivasi (the oldest inhabitants). So, does Netam agree with this? Politically, it will make no difference in elections … Bastar's public does not support him,' said the party's state communications chief Sushil Anand Shukla. RSS's state media cell in-charge Sanjay Tiwari said Netam was doing 'good work' for tribals and opposed conversions. 'We invite even those who are our critics,' he added. 'Thousands will be attending the event. Many who want to understand the Sangh will also be there.' BJP spokesperson Kedar Gupta said the RSS invitation should not be seen through the political lens. 'There is no political discrimination in the RSS. Before this, Pranab Mukherjee ji was invited and he graced the event. It is a nationalistic organisation that believes in working together with every section of society.'
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Adivasis say Project Tiger and tourism are displacing them from their ancestral land
TOI correspondent from London: Indigenous communities across India are being pushed out of their ancestral lands in the name of tourism and expansion of tiger projects whilst the laws to protect them are being diluted and not implemented properly, Adivasis told a global press briefing on Monday. 'They say India has got freedom. But I think Adivasi people have not yet got freedom,' J C Shivamma, from the Jenu Kuruba tribe, said at the online event organised by Community Network Against Protected Areas. She is among the 52 households who reoccupied their ancestral land within Nagarhole tiger reserve on May 5, 35 years after their families were forcibly evicted. 'Some of our family members died when in the plantations, but our sacred deities, our graveyard, everything that concerns us, is still in the village, so we used to go back to bury our people in our ancestral land, but it was always a fight with the forest department toconduct rituals. We consider our ancestors to be on the lands, they become deities and this way we were tortured. If we have to die, we will die on our ancestral land,' she said. Shivu JA recalled how their houses were burnt and elephants brought to destroy their fields when they were evicted from Karadikallu. 'This land is ours. It's not any tiger project or scheme of the govt for tiger conservation,' he said. 'Our elders are very happy now. We are having our food, we are going for honey collection. We have our own water resource. We sit together in the evening, and they are teaching us songs. All these songs and lessons were silenced for 40 years." 'The forest department keeps saying that only after your rights are recognised, you can live on this land. We already have these rights,' he said. The Jenu Kurubas are filing a case against the Forest Department under the SC/ST Atrocities Act for withholding their rights and filing an appeal against 39 rejected forest rights claims. 'Why are their rights not being recognised despite the notification of central legislation such as the Forest Rights Act 2006,' asked scholar Nitin Rai. 'People across the country in different states are fighting the same battles. It is important to find a way to raise a collective voice for what is happening all over,' said lawyer Lara Jesani.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Pioneer hockey coach Pratima Barwa, who produced players like Salima Tete & Sangeeta Kumari, no more
Pratima Barwa, a hockey coach who trained many adivasi girls in Jharkhand and helped shape Olympians like Salima Tete, Sangita Kumari and Beauty Dungdung, has passed away at the age of 46 following a brain hemorrhage at a Ranchi hospital. Barwa, a native of Kocha village in Khunti's Torpa block, had suffered a seizure on May 27 while holding her infant son in her arms. She breathed her last on Sunday morning after surviving for four days in the ICU. Her funeral was held at her village in the evening. Khunti, known for its rich tribal identity, has long been a cradle of Indian hockey. It was from this very region that Jaipal Singh Munda emerged to become the captain of the Indian hockey team that won gold at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. Nearly a century later, Barwa carried forward that legacy, not with a stick in hand, but with an unwavering commitment to nurture young girls in the sport. Her coaching, often in remote fields with bare minimum facilities, produced several Adivasi hockey stars. 'She dedicated her entire life to hockey,' said Sanjeeta Barwa, her younger sister. 'She started playing in Class 5 after being selected for Gumla's training programme. Later, she trained at the Bariatu Hockey Centre and then joined the Punjab Hockey Academy before returning to Jharkhand.' Barwa played for Jharkhand for nearly two decades, though a leg injury put paid to her chances of making it to the national team. After her playing career, she became a full-time coach under the Jharkhand government's Department of Tourism, Sports and Youth Affairs. Barwa was initially posted in Simdega, one of Jharkhand's hockey hubs, where she served for over a decade before being transferred to Khunti. Until her illness, she was coaching at the School of Excellence (SS+2) in Khunti, a residential centre nurturing young tribal talent. 'She produced many state, national-level and international players. She worked with the likes of Salima Tete, who is now the captain of the Indian hockey team, Sangita Kumari and Beauty Dungdung,' Sanjeeta said. Born into a hockey-loving adivasi family, Barwa drew inspiration from her father Late Gopal Barwa, a CRPF jawan and local player, and her uncles who played in village tournaments. She grew up watching matches dubbed the 'Khassi Cup' and 'Murga Cup,' where goats and chickens were prizes. Her sister remembers her struggles with clarity. 'She came up the hard way — no money, limited resources — but she never gave up. Even when she had seizures in 2022, she recovered and guided the Jharkhand team at the Rourkela nationals in 2023.' 'Even while battling illness, she remained hopeful about returning to the field,' said her tearful sister. 'She told me, 'I want to get better and go back to training my girls.'' Former India captain Asunta Lakra, currently a national selector, recalled her deep bond with Barwa, describing her as a quiet force in Jharkhand's grassroots sports movement. 'I first met Pratima didi at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Bariatu, Ranchi, in the late 1990s. She was our senior — strict but gentle, a natural leader who kept the team disciplined without ever raising her voice,' Asunta told The Indian Express. 'She would say, 'I want to be a turning point in at least one girl's life.' No one talks about it, but every single international player coming from Simdega or even Jharkhand today — they were once under her care,' Lakra claimed. 'She never sought the limelight and didn't get the recognition she truly deserved — not from the system, not even from us sometimes.' Barwa's husband, Sukra Lohra, is a CRPF jawan currently posted in Raigarh, Chhattisgarh. They married in 2018 and have a one-and-a-half-year-old son. He remembers how passionate his wife was about hockey, often choosing to be on the ground over holidays at home. 'She would say, 'I couldn't play much, but I want to make sure the children I coach get every opportunity,'' he recalls. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren called Barwa's passing an irreparable loss for the state and the Indian hockey fraternity. 'The untimely demise of hockey coach Pratima Barwa ji, who gave many talented international hockey players to Jharkhand and the country, is extremely saddening,' he wrote on social media. He called her 'an ideal for the hardworking daughters of Jharkhand.' Shubham Tigga hails from Chhattisgarh and studied journalism at the Asian College of Journalism. He previously reported in Chhattisgarh on Indigenous issues and is deeply interested in covering socio-political, human rights, and environmental issues in mainland and NE India. Presently based in Pune, he reports on civil aviation, other transport sectors, urban mobility, the gig economy, commercial matters, and workers' unions. You can reach out to him on LinkedIn ... Read More
