BJP-led Madhya Pradesh govt planning to privatise 40% of forests, alleges Congress

New Delhi: The Adivasi Congress, the tribal wing of the Congress party, on Monday alleged that the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh "is going to privatise 40% of forests" in the state with scant regard to the tribals living and engaged in farming in these forests.

It also alleged that many governments in the BJP-ruled states were violating rules to allow mining in the lands of tribals.

"The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh is going to privatise 40% of forests. The government says these forests have been ruined, so they will give them to private companies so that they can develop them. But what is being hidden is that tribals are settled in these forests, either they have pastures in these forests or they have agricultural lands," said the recently appointed Adivasi Congress chairman Vikrant Bhuria at a briefing in Delhi.


Bhuria alleged that various BJP governments in states were working to "weaken" the laws and constitutional rights of the tribals and enabling the "snatching away" of their lands for mining. "Due to which our lands are being snatched away and our people are also being put in jail," he said.

He also lamented that President Droupadi Murmu, who belongs to the tribal community, had not yet commented on tribals being affected in the violent clashes in Manipur.