How do you see the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) tribal agenda?
The BJP looks at tribals as the backwaters of Hindu society. On their part, the tribals face a contradiction: there is the temptation to get into the sanctum sanctorum of Hindu society, but also the desire to maintain their beliefs. Other political parties also view tribals somewhat similarly, as people who need to be uplifted. No party works on creating structural changes for tribal institutions. There is only tokenism by placing a tribal leader at the top of an institution. Is forest conservation possible without the violation of tribals’ right? I have seen the recent forest data from the Northeast state by state. More than 90 per cent of forests there (except in Assam and Tripura) are with the communities. These are much healthier than government forests. Forest officials are trained in commercial exploitation of forests, not in real scientific management. And as for tribals destroying the forest, I am of the opinion that it happens only when their livelihood is taken away. A lot of
