The Congress party's ‘Dalit Girijana Dandora’, its first major political activity after A Revanth Reddy took over as Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president, has divided Adivasi people in Adilabad district. Tudum Debba, an organisation representing nine aboriginal tribes in the state, has raised some questions with regard to conduct of the rally at the historic Indervelli martyrs memorial column on August 9 and demanded that the opposition party hold the public meeting on some other day. The Dandora rally would be held between August 9 and September 17 with the objective of exposing the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government on its failure to fulfil its electoral promises to poor Dalits and tribal people in the state.
The rally, which is expected to be conducted at several places in the state, also aims to 'expose' the ruling party for allegedly scheming to influence voters in the coming bye-election in Huzurabad through introduction of ‘Dalita Bandhu’, an economic upliftment scheme which envisages a sanction of Rs 10 lakh to individual families of poor Scheduled Caste people. "The Indervelli martyrs memorial has been erected in honour of Adivasi people killed in the police firing on April 20, 1981 who had assembled there as part of their struggle to regain lands lost through encroachments by non-adivasis. It was the Congress party which was ruling the state when scores of Adivasis were massacred that day," Godam Ganesh, the president of Adilabad district unit of the Adivasi Hakkula Porata Samithi, popularly known as Tudum Debba, pointed out, as he raised the primary objection.
The Indervelli martyrs memorial column
The day of the Congress’ Indervelli public meeting coincides with another larger event held every year across the tribal areas in Telangana. August 9 has been declared by the United Nations as the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, locally known as Adivasi Day, and tribals celebrate the day with much gusto.
The Tudum Debba district president contended that it was wrong to hold a political public meeting on a day the ethnic tribes considered sacred, at the martyrs memorial. "We assemble at the place to talk about ourselves and our state of being and not about non-tribal people," Ganesh said. Another objection that even the pro-Dandora Adivasis are raising is the alleged statement of the TPCC president made a few days ago in Hyderabad. While interacting with the media about the Dandora rally, Revanth Reddy talked about struggles waged jointly by the Adivasi people and people from the Lambada tribe.
The statement triggered a row as Gond Adivasis and other tribal groups have been opposed to Lambadas being included in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list in Telangana, and have staged various agitations on the issue. Bharat Chauhan, a senior Congress leader from Khanapur (ST) Assembly constituency, who is part of the organisers of the rally and a Lambada himself, conceded that there was no struggle ever waged jointly by the aboriginal tribes or the Lambada tribe. "But, isn't this meeting all about seeking justice for the tribals?" he asked, trying to drive home the point that his party was taking up the cause of the Adivasi people.
Publicity material for the Dalit Girijana Dandora
"It will in fact bring to light the 40-year-old incident and the injustice meted out to us. The Dandora will highlight the continuing plight of Adivasi people," concurred Purka Bapu Rao, Tudum Debba general secretary who has come under severe criticism from the organisation for supporting the Dandora rally.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) member and former MLC K Premsagar Rao, who is in charge of organising the Indervelli event, rubbished the talk of local people opposing the rally at Indervelli. "It is not going to make any difference and the Dandora will be a super successful event, not seen since 2014," he said, exuding confidence while talking to TNM.
The venue of the Dalit Girijana Dandora being readied
Meanwhile, preparations are in full swing for the rally, which is just two days away. The venue of the public meeting for which the opposition party expects to gather one lakh people from the 10 Assembly constituencies in former united Adilabad district, is behind the martyrs memorial column.
"Before giving permission to hold the Dandora rally, we will ensure that the organisers take precautions as part of COVID-19 protocol besides ensuring that sufficient land is identified to accommodate a large number of people and for parking lots and mess. The bandobast would be tight too," Utnoor Deputy Superintendent of Police N Uday Reddy said.