Maratha quota stir: From August 1, Dhangars to agitate over inclusion under ST category

After aggressive protests by the Maratha community, Mumbai and neighbouring areas may have to brace for another round of agitations, this time by the Dhangars seeking inclusion under the scheduled tribes (ST) category.

Gopichand Padalkar of the Yashwant Kranti Sena said they would launch a statewide protest from August 1 with a rally in Pune. To culminate with a dharna in Mumbai in September, the agitation will see protests in the state capital and parts of the metropolis, where the community has a presence in areas such as Mankhurd, Govandi, Reay Road, Kalamboli and Vasai.

At present, Dhangars, who are pastoral sheep herders with a significant number also engaged in agriculture, are included in the nomadic tribes (NT-C) with 3.5 per cent quota, claim they are a tribal group. Their demand hinges on the presence of the 'Dhangad/ Oraons' in the ST list. Dhangar leaders claim dhangars and dhangads are the same and the term dhangad is a spelling mistake which has deprived them of benefits. However, this demand is resisted by tribals.

"We have documented evidence from tehsildars in all 358 talukas that no caste certificates were issued for anyone from the dhangad community. However, the tribal development department wrongly claims the number of dhangads in Maharashtra was 97,000 in the 1991 census, 28,000 in the 2001 census and 48,000 in 2011. We are challenging the government to declare the addresses of these dhangads by September or include us in the ST category," said Padalkar, who had contested the 2014 Assembly polls from Sangli district as a BJP nominee.

"In September, we will launch a do-or-die battle and 5 lakh people will come to Mumbai at Azad Maidan or Shivaji Park for a sit-in protest till our demand is met," he added.

Before the 2014 polls, the BJP had promised to concede to this demand and later co-opted Mahadeo Jankar of the dhangar-dominated Rashtriya Samaj Party (RSP) as the Animal Husbandry Minister. Community leaders claim dhangars number around 12-15 per cent of the population, next only to Maratha- Kunbis.

"There are no dhangads in Maharashtra... a spelling mistake has deprived us of benefits," claimed Prakash Khade of the outfit, adding their protest would be on lines of the Maratha agitation. He added that while the pastorals were at the receiving end of shrinking grazing lands and local bullies who stole their sheep, agriculturists suffered from low productivity, fragmented holdings, lack of remunerative returns and unaffordable higher education.

Khade said so far, the community did not have a single Lok Sabha MP from Maharashtra and added that inclusion in the ST category would ensure better political representation and educational and employment opportunities.

Former Congress minister and tribal leader Padmakar Valvi said they would resist the demand. "Dhangads are a sub-tribe of the Oraon in Odisha and erstwhile Central provinces. They are not found in Maharashtra and have been included in the state's ST list accidentally in the past," he explained.

Valvi said characteristics for a community to be declared as a tribal included a culture different from the mainstream, separate pagan gods, dialect sans a script, isolation from society and concentration in an area. "The culture of Dhangars is that of a forward society as they do not meet these characteristics. They are a nomadic tribe. Tribals are a settled group," he added.

PLAN OF ACTION

• Members of Sakal Maratha Samaj and Maratha Kranti Morcha will launch a ‘jail bharo’ protest on Wed, at Azad Maidan for demands like withdrawal of cases lodged during last week’s Mumbai bandh 
   
• 5L Dhangars to gather at Azad Maidan or Shivaji Park for a sit-in protest in September