Uproar In Rajasthan Assembly Over Minister's Remarks About Tribals

The Rajasthan assembly on Tuesday witnessed uproar over cases registered against the Congress leaders during the recent Kota protest and the controversial statements of a minister regarding tribal communities made last month.

The proceedings of the House had to be adjourned twice.

A war of words had broken out between Education Minister Madan Dilawar and newly-elected Banswara MP and Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) leader Rajkumar Roat last month after the minister suggested a DNA test to verify whether the tribal leader is a Hindu or not.

Mr Roat had earlier said he belongs to a tribal community and adheres to a belief system distinct from the organised religions, including Hinduism.

Reacting to this, Mr Dilawar made a controversial statement last month, when he said, "If the BAP leader does not consider himself Hindu, then a DNA test should be done to verify whether he is the son of a Hindu." The matter reverberated in the Rajasthan assembly on Thursday.

Referring to Mr Dilawar's controversial statement, Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully said there was no comment from the Chief Minister or the BJP condemning the minister's remarks.

"The entire opposition demands that the Chief Minister should take the resignation of the minister. The minister should apologise in the House," he said.

During the zero hour, the opposition members stormed in the Well of the House and created uproar. They also condemned the FIR registered against Congress state chief Govind Singh Dotasra and Jully in Kota during a recent protest.

Some of the BJP MLAs also moved towards the Well to counter the opposition. When order was not restored in the House despite repeated instructions, the Speaker adjourned it for half-an-hour.

The proceedings were normal after the House reassembled but the opposition again raised the same demand.

Regarding his statement, Mr Dilawar said it was not his intention to insult the tribal communities and he respects them as well as the great tribal personalities.

"The tribal (communities) have saved our culture. It has never been my intention to speak negatively about the tribal society. I recognise that the tribal communities have inhabited this country since time immemorial and they are widely respected," he said.

Mr Dilawar said a journalist had asked him about Mr Roat's statement that the tribal people are not Hindus. In response to that, he had said they are Hindus and will remain so.

"The tribal communities have existed on this land since ancient times, and in that sense, we are all tribals," he said.

As the minister was giving his statement, some of the opposition members disrupted him, demanding an apology. This invited sharp reaction from the Speaker.

Mr Dilawar continued, "We all consider ourselves tribals because our roots are ancient. I pay homage and respect to the great tribal leaders and constantly invoke their names with reverence.

"Regarding the comment... I had said some words which should not have been spoken, but I had said if he does not consider himself as a Hindu then it should be examined," he said.

However, the opposition members continued to create uproar. Amid this, the Speaker adjourned the House for half-an-hour.

When the House reassembled, the leader of the opposition reiterated the demand for an apology from the minister. He said the minister should apologise and the chief minister should seek his resignation.

The opposition then walked out of the House. Jully said the opposition will boycott the House proceedings for the rest of the day. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)