Next President of India to be from tribal community.ICITP

By sagarmedia on May 9, 2012 | Leave a Comment | Edit

 

Indian Confederation of Indigenous and Tribal People’s (ICITP) Representatives of 310 tribal organizations from across the country, including the NDFB (Progressive), North East Zonal  President Jebra Ram Muchahary, today held a press conference in New Delhi at Press Club of India briefing  on subject of their demand  that the next President of India ought to be from tribal community.He said that the Scheduled Tribes comprises of nearly 8% of the population which comes to about 85-90 million people,so far no one from them has become the president of India or the prime Minister.Others minorities for example  SC/Muslim/Sikh have  become President,Prime Minister,Chief Justice and Generals but no Scheduled Tribe has held these positions.natural justice demands that the next President of India be a scheduled Tribe.
Natural Justice demands in consonance with the Constitution of our country which give equal rights to all communities demands that the next President of India be from a Scheduled Tribe.He further addressed,On Tribal becoming the President,  the tribal community will feel aligned with mainstream find their demands will be well taken care of and the national problem of civil disorder emanating  the ongoing problems of Maoist in many tribal districts  would be diluted.
NDFB (P) general secretary Gobinda Basumatary said in the last sixty-five years, the country has got a president from the Scheduled Caste, Muslim community and the Sikh community, besides the dominant class.
“But, we are yet to get one from the Adivasi community. We have impressed upon Rahul Gandhi on the need to have a President from the community,” Basumatary said to media at Press club of India New Delhi. He said the eight-member delegation comprised representatives from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, besides Assam,on Tuesday met Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi, reiterating their demand to elect an ‘indigenous tribal’ as the country’s next president
Indian Confederation of Indigenous and Tribal People’s (ICITP) North East zonal president Mr Jebra Ram Muchahary said Gandhi told the delegation that the “idea was excellent”. “Though we did not want to name anyone, Gandhi asked us our choice. We referred the name of Meghalaya Governor Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary as we think he is the most eligible person from the community in the Northeast. But we also added that the choice was with the Congress, if they considered anyone else better,” Muchahary said.
 He said the tribal organisations have met and submitted memorandums to BJP leaders LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj, BSP supremo Mayawati and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, besides other senior political leaders seeking their endorsement to their demand. The ICITP had adopted a resolution in February 21 resolution putting forth the demand for a tribal President. Sources say some influential tribal MPs are also backing the demand. The ICITP had earlier sent a representation to Congress president Sonia Gandhi underling the need for a tribal President.
“We, as the weakest sections of the society, have been simply neglected, suppressed, oppressed, marginalised, exploited and deprived for so long though we have been contributing in the nation building,” the ICITP had said in a letter to Gandhi.
Mr Jebra Ram informed the media that about 53 MP’s presently are the total strength of the tribal  community in both house.When Media asked for their consensus on the name of Mr P A Sangma, Jebra said,” we would be delighted” but tribal bodies impressed upon and said that if Mooshahary is elected as the country’s 14th President, “the Adivasis of India will feel that justices are beginning to be delivered by the privileged society.”