In a controversial statement, Union Minister and Kerala BJP MP Suresh Gopi has said that it was his wish to see a dominant caste member as the tribal affairs minister. Speaking during an election campaign in New Delhi, he said that he has been requesting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give him the tribal affairs portfolio instead of civil aviation since 2016 when he became a Rajya Sabha MP.
“This is a curse on the land—that a non-tribal person cannot be the minister for tribal affairs. It is my dream to see a person born to a ‘high caste’ working for the empowerment of the tribal community. If there is a tribal person who is supposed to head their ministry, they should instead be given the portfolio to empower the ‘upper caste’ members. This change should happen in our democratic system. Let a Brahmin or Naidu look after tribal affairs, there will be a big change. I have made this request to Modi, but there are certain legalities involved,” he said, addressing a gathering in the city’s Mayur Vihar Colony, which has a significant Malayali population.
The Tribal Affairs Ministry was set up in 1999 after the bifurcation of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, which has seen leaders belonging to dominant caste leaders at the helm. The ministry was split into two so as to provide a more focused approach on the integrated socio-economic development of the Scheduled Tribes (STs). The current minister is Jual Oram, an adivasi who hails from Odisha.
The Government of India does not have a ministry for the empowerment of the forward castes, as their prominent social positioning does not necessitate such a welfare measure.
A prominent actor in the Malayalam film industry, Suresh Gopi is known for his theatrics and controversial statements. Earlier, he had declared that he would be “saved” if he was removed from the Minister of State post due to his interest in movies. He said he had not wished for the post but had to succumb when the leadership told him that the post was not given solely because of him, but as a “thank you note” and “gift” to the voters of Thrissur, his constituency.