Murmu flays NDA and UPA for reduction of tribal seats in Jharkhand

Jamshedpur, Aug 19 (UNI) Bahujan Samaj Party's candidate for Jamshedpur bypoll Salkhan Murmu today came down heavily on both the UPA and the NDA for present fiasco on the issuing of notification by the Delimitation Commission to downsize the Assembly seats for scheduled tribes in Jharkhand.

Talking to UNI Mr Murmu termed the decision of the Commision as ''anti-tribal and unconstitutional''. He said it transgressed the provisions of the 5th Schedule of the constitution enshrined for scheduled areas.

The former MP also apprehended that the issue would snowball into a major crisis in Jharkhand and might burn the state and ''If that does happen, then both the UPA and the NDA will be responsible for the turmoil''.

He said the MPs from Jharkhand must raise questions to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the leader of the opposition L K Advani in current session of parliament about the justification of reducing the ''adivasi'' Assembly seats in the state. Mr Murmu said ''Both the leaders are to be blamed for the Commission's decision as they ignored the interests of the tribals despite it was being pointed out time and again.'' He also held both the UPA and the NDA responsible for non-implementation of panchayat election in Scheduled Areas(PESA)Act in Jharkhand while the same act was enforced in eight other states in the country.

Mr Murmu, who joined the BSP recently, also asked the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi about Delimitation and PESA act issues. He welcomed Ms Gandhi for her proposed visit here to campaign for the UPA candidate, adding he said Ms Gandhi should get prepared to answer this buring topic.

Mr Murmu, also the national convenor of Adivasi Adhikari Morcha, convened a meeting over the Delimitation and PESA issue in Ranchi on September 2 in which all adivasi MLAs and MPs and the members of the Tribal Advisory Committee(TAC) would be present.

UNI