Hattees in Sirmaur set to get ST status

KS Tomar

Over 3 lakh population of the Hattee community spread over in five Assembly segments of Sirmaur district is jubilant over announcement by BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda during his recent visit to Paonta Sahib that these areas may be soon be declared as tribal.

Cong govts cheated community: Nadda

• BJP national president Jai Prakash Nadda has said that the Hattee community should have been declared tribal in 1966 along with Jaunsar Bawar areas of the then undivided Uttar Pradesh and now in Uttarakhand
• He said culture, traditions and other socio- economic parameters of the Trans Giri area people are identical to Jaunsar Bawar but successive Congress governments knowingly did injustice to keep the community backward

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, too, has assured the Hattee community that its demand would be fulfilled soon. Nadda’s categorical assertion has left none in doubt that the stage is set for the inclusion of 389 villages of different blocks, including Shillai (35 panchayats), Tilordhar (23 panchayats), Rajgarh (34 panchayats), Sangrah (44 panchayats), Paonta (18 panchayats), etc in the 10th Schedule which is bound to happen any time prior to the imposition of the model code of conduct in the state in October or so.

The BJP national president refrained from making a direct announcement as it is the prerogative of the Prime Minister or the Union Home Minister, who might do it during their proposed visits to the state during September.

Nadda said the Hattee community should have been declared tribal in 1966 along with Jaunsar Bawar areas of the then undivided Uttar Pradesh and now in Uttarakhand. He said culture, traditions and other socio- economic parameters of the Trans Giri area people are identical to Jaunsar Bawar but successive Congress governments knowingly did injustice to keep them backward. A one line resolution from the Himachal Assembly at that time could have been suffice to declare Giripar areas as tribal but it was not done by the Congress.

Analysts say that the outcome of the Assembly elections in Sirmaur district will be different after the Hattee community gets a tribal status as beneficiaries have got enough strength to change the entire electoral game. BJP’s onslaught may focus on its accusation that the Congress intentionally deprived these deserving people of their right to get tribal status along with Jaunsar Bawar villagers, who have progressed a lot after getting the ST status, especially their youth have got jobs in Central services.

The Registrar General of India and the tribal ministry have sent a proposal to the Union Home Ministry to complete the process of adoption of the Bill in Parliament though a short route option of enacting it through an Ordinance will always be available with the Centre.

Hattee Samiti leaders like its president Dr Amin Chand and general secretary Kundan Shastry etc. are making desperate efforts to counter the propaganda about its negative fallout on the scheduled castes which may not have any impact on the decision of the Centre to give tribal status to the people of the Trans Giri area in Sirmaur district. (writer is a senior journalist)

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.

#paonta sahib #Sirmaur