Former minister Dulal Bhuiyan, a member of a community that is seeking ST status

New Delhi, Nov. 23: Dulal Bhuiyan can shift from Jugsalai to Ghatshila, and perhaps be elected MLA, if the Jharkhand government had responded to the Centre’s query on extending scheduled tribe status to his community.

Former revenue minister Bhuiyan contested from Jugsalai, reserved for SCs, in the 2009 Assembly polls on a JMM ticket. He lost to Ramchandra Sahis of Ajsu. On the other hand Ramdas Soren from the JMM became an MLA from Ghatshila — a constituency reserved for STs —defeating Congress veteran Pradeep Balmuchu.

Bhuiyans are among five communities in Jharkhand claiming ST status. These also include Khetauri, Ghatwal, Bhuiyan-Ghatwal, Periyar and Kadar_ predominantly found in the Santhal Parganas. Among them only the Bhuiyans have scheduled caste (SC) status.

In 2009, the Centre had laid down modalities of including new tribes as STs. These were revised in 2002.

A critical modality is the state government’s recommendation justifying the inclusion — a step Jharkhand hasn’t yet taken, said Union tribal affairs minister V. K. C. Deo.

Deo’s reply was in response to a matter raised in the Lok Sabha’s last winter session by Godda MP Nishikant Dubey.

He had asked why the five communities of Jharkhand and the Konda Reddys of Odisha were not counted as STs.

In a letter to Dubey on November 8, Deo wrote, “The state government of Jharkhand as well as Orissa have been requested to furnish comments/views of the inclusion of the communities mentioned by the MP. Response from both the state governments is awaited.”

Deo, who belongs to the Konda Dora tribe found in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, told The Telegraph the file had been sent to Jharkhand this year, before he became minister in July.

A former senior researcher at the state-run Jharkhand Tribal Welfare Research Institute, who requested anonymity, said the institute had in fact recommended ST status for these tribes to the states personnel department.

“The only confusion was with the Bhuiyans who were earlier denied recommendation as STs due to slight differences from tribals in the anthropological criteria. They then requested for SC criteria which they got. This was reviewed and we have finally recommended them ST status,” he said

Dubey said that all these tribes were very backward and had poor standards of living. “Last week, I wrote to the chief minister on this. I spoke to him, too, and he said that he had requested the Centre for enlisting them as STs earlier but nothing came out of it and he would do so again soon.”