Author: FOC
Publication: Organiser
Date: August 6, 2006
URL: http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=142&page=31
National convention of Kalyan Ashram in Bhiwani
Expressing serious concern over the growing
terrorist activities in Vanvasi areas, the national convention of Akhil Bharatiya
Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram held in Bhiwani, Haryana, from July 22 to 24, has demanded
that all the state governments should take all possible steps to block the
entry of foreign missionaries, foreign funds and their misuse, extortion by
terrorist outfits and forced conversion in Vanvasi areas. The convention urged
the central government not to hold any dialogue with NSCN (IM) on the foreign
soil. The convention called upon all the constitutional organisations, Vanvasi
communities, their traditional organisations, youth and all the nationalist
forces of the country to work unitedly to save the country from the dangers
posing today.
"This convention wants to attract the
attention of the country to the fact that when security forces take any action
against terrorists, a large number of so-called national and international
human rights organisations start making hue and cry and a section of Indian
media also joins them. But when dozens of innocent Vanvasi women, children,
elderly people and security personnel are killed in Chhattisgarh and the north-east
by the separatist Maoists, all these organisations and media become a mute
spectator. Does the life of these poor and innocent people have no price?"
asked a resolution adopted at the convention.
The convention was inaugurated by noted Jain
saint Acharya Mahapragya and Paramhans Hajoor Shri Kanwar Maharaj of Radhaswami
Satsang. More than 1200 Kalyan Ashram workers participated in it. Shri Madhubhai
Kulkarni, Akhil Bharatiya Bauddhik Pramukh of RSS, addressed the concluding
session. All the office-bearers of Kalyan Ashram including president Shri
Jagdevram Oraon, general secretary Shri Gunvant Singh Kothari, joint general
secretary Shri Kripa Prasad Singh and organising secretary Shri Somyajulu
were also present at the convention.
Expressing concern over the growing terrorism in the north-east the convention
demanded the central government to expose the anti-national forces creating
problems in the region. "The incidents of Chingmeirong Ronomei village
in Manipur and Tirap and Changlong districts in Arunachal Pradesh are a shame
on any civilized and independent country and show the real face of the so-called
secularists. The forced conversion and separatism have made the condition
of Arunachal Pradesh and for its peace-loving local janjati communities very
peculiar and the day is not far when Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim will also
go the Nagaland way," the resolution added. The resolution demanded the
government to create employment opportunities for youth living in Vanvasi
areas, give priority to land reforms to stop the lands going out of the hands
of Vanvasis, recognise their possession over forest products, minerals and
other natural resources and put an end on corruption so that Vanvasis can
get real benefits of developmental schemes.
The convention also demanded that the central
and Chhattisgarh governments should make proper arrangements for rehabilitation,
security and employment of Vanvasis and also implement effective schemes to
end terrorism so that the displaced people could return to their villages.
The convention called for making immediate arrangements for food, medical
facilities and also protection from rain for the people living in relief camps.
In another resolution, the convention strongly
emphasised that the Government of India should accept the amendments suggested
by the Joint Committee (JC) and also place the Scheduled Tribes (Recognition
of Forest Rights) Bill-2005 in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution to prevent
the courts from passing orders against regularisation of land rights as strongly
recommended by the JC. The Bill already produced in Parliament and cleared
by the Joint Committee of both the houses of Parliament, is still waiting
sanction of Parliament. The JC has suggested a number of important amendments
including the change in the title of the Bill as the "Scheduled Tribes
and Other Traditional Forest-Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill
2005. These suggestions and amendments will go a long way in setting right
the impediments created by the rules notified under the Forest (Conservation)
Act 1980 and pronouncements of the apex court. The first major amendment is
to extend the benefit of the proposed legislation to the traditional forest-dwellers
apart from STs. The second is to give pattas to forest-dwellers who had occupied
forest land before December 13, 2005, the date of introduction of the Bill
in the Lok Sabha, instead of the cut-off date (October 25, 1980, the date
of the commencement of the Forest Act 1980). "If this problem which has
been pending for the last 26 years and is one of the main causes of unrest
in the Vanvasi areas is resolved, it will bring peace and prosperity,"
the resolution said.
About the cultural identity of Vanvasi communities,
another resolution expressed concern that the administration, governments
and also the courts have recognised the problem of conversion as merely a
problem of law and order. Conversion is creating so many problems in the total
structure of Vanvasi communities and the incident of Dang, (Gujarat), Jhabua
(Madhya Pradesh) and Orissa are its burning examples. The convention said
ban on illegal conversion is a must to avoid conflicts in Vanvasi areas. The
convention also demanded the central government to enact an anti-conversion
law and also laws to keep the converted people out of the scheduled Vanvasis.
