The BJP today accused the state government of making life miserable for tribals, especially for people belonging to the Primitive Tribal Group, in the name of industrialisation.
Dubbing the state government's five-year prospective plan released yesterday, as “publicity oriented”, BJP's new state president Mr Jual Oram alleged that people belonging to Dangaria Kandha and Kutia Kandha in Niyamgiri hill area in Kalahandi district were being deprived of their rights on land and water.
“The government allowed Vedanta aluminum company to undertake mining activities at Niyamgiri hill, which is the epicentre of tribal faith,” Mr Oram said in a statement adding that two other PGTs like Pahadi Bhuyan and Juang were also on extinction because of large-scale mining in Keonjhar district. Alleging that the government failed to protect tribals from Maoists, he said that the people living in jungles and hills were spending their days under fear.
Strongly criticising the government for failing to properly implement Orissa Reservation Act, 1975, the BJP leader said that there was no point in building new hostels for tribal girls when a large number of state-run ashram schools were unhygienic.
He also alleged that the tribal students were also not being given their stipends on time.