All India Banjara Sangh formed to fight for community's rights

THANE: An independent organisation has been formed to take up long pending issues of the 'Banjara' (nomadic people) community, Maharashtra MLC Haribhau Rathod said today.

At a meeting of the Banjara community leaders from all over the country held here yesterday, a unanimous decision was taken to form an independent organisation to take up the long pending issues of the community. The new organisation has been christened as 'All India Banjara Sangh' ( AIBS), he told reporters here.

Rathod, who was elected as the first national president of the AIBS during the meeting, said the organisation will have representations from all states of the country.

The former MP had yesterday demanded that denotified tribes be removed from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) list and a separate category be created for them with a grant of seven per cent reservation.

He said a mega rally would be organised at the Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on February 28, 2016, to press for the demand.

Rathod said in the coming months, he would tour various states in the country to "awaken" members of the community and get maximum participation in the agitation to press for their demand.