Various Adivasi organisations in former undivided Adilabad district, including Adivasi Hakkula Porata Samiti or Tudum Debba, on Sunday issued a warning to aboriginal people who intend to support candidates belonging to Lambada tribe in the coming election in the Khanapur (ST) Assembly constituency.
The organisations contended that Lambadas were ‘outsiders’ being migrants and were not a Scheduled Tribe to contest from the ST reserved seats.
At a public meeting at Utnoor, the headquarters of all tribal activity in Adilabad, organisations representing all nine ethnic tribes in the district, vowed not to support either former MP Ramesh Rathod or other Lambadas who may contest from the Khanapur (ST) constituency.
A formal announcement will be made on September 17 during a public meeting being planned at Indervelli by the Adivasis to show their strength.
Vedama Bojju, leader of Adivasi Students Union, and others like Arka Khammu, Mesram Nagnath, Kotnak Ramesh demanded the Congress to give party ticket to an aboriginal tribal candidate from the constituency. Bojju claimed that of the 1.76 lakh electorate, Adivasis numbered 63,000 while Lambadas were only 29,000 in strength which is the reason enough for political parties to offer nomination to an ethnic tribal leader.
The Adivasis alleged injustice against them since Lambadas came to represent the constituency over four decades ago. They alleged that all Lambadas were outsiders.