THE Adivasi Adhikar Rashtriya Manch (AARM), in a statement issued on December 7, has expressed concern on the hatred campaign of Janajati Suraksha Manch (JSM) against the adivasi Christian community of the country.

The Adivasi Adhikar Rashtriya Manch (AARM) at its recently held national executive council meeting, expressed grave concern about the intensified efforts of the Janajati Suraksha Manch (JSM) to target Christian adivasi communities in different states. This JSM outfit is backed by the RSS and many known BJP leaders are associated with it. Their campaign to delist as Schedule tribes, all those adivasis who have converted to Christianity is unconstitutional and divisive. Religion does not form the basis for listing any community as a Scheduled Tribe either in law or in the constitution. In fact under the Modi government, constitutional and legal guarantees for the protection of land for the STs, the rights of the gram sabha for any projects in adivasi areas are being flagrantly violated and laws undermined or amended. The JSM is acting as a shield to protect such pro-corporate, anti-tribal policies as it has never spoken a word against policies like dilution of Forest Rights Act, anti-tribal amendments to the Forest Conservation Act, violation of PESA etc. All across India, adivasis are mobilising for protection of jal, jungle and zameen.

It is learnt that during the Christmas season, the JSM has given a highly provocative call for programmes in different states, such as Tripura and Jharkhand, to hold programmes targeting adivasis of the Christian community on the demand that they should be removed from the ST list.

The national executive council of AARM calls upon all its units across the country to counter this divisive call of the JSM through a strong campaign including demonstrations and dharnas. AARM is also urging all secular and democratic forces of the country to raise their voices against this sinister design of RSS-BJP in the guise of JSM. The AARM is working for adivasi unity against the anti-tribal policies of the central government. It calls upon the state governments to deny permission during the Christmas period for such divisive and provocative activity by the JSM, where such programmes are scheduled.