Banswara (Rajasthan): The Bhilistan Tiger Sena (BTS) and the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) jointly handed over a memorandum for the President of India to the local tehsildar in Rajasthan's Banswara district, demanding a separate Bhil Pradesh.
BTS state secretary Vijay Maida, and BTP state president Devchand Mavi led a delegation which handed over the memorandum for the President to Kushalgarh tehsildar Praveen Kumar Meena.
The memorandum listed 21 demands of the Bhil community, including the carving out of a separate state - Bhil Pradesh for the scheduled tribes. They want Bhil Pradesh to include tribal areas of Southern Rajasthan, Northern Gujarat, Western Madhya Pradesh, and some parts of Northern Maharashtra.
"The adivasis (tribals) should have a separate Bhil Pradesh. We also want implementation of Schedule-V of the constitution for our rights. We will amplify this campaign for a separate state," Maida said.
"BTP has always emphasised on the jal, jangal, zameen (water, forest, land). Money never reached us in the tribal areas," Mavi said.
Apart from the demand for a separate state, the memorandum also demanded the implementation of Schedule-V of the Constitution, Indian Citizenship to many Bhils in the border areas, and a ban on alcohol in the scheduled areas.
With respect to the ongoing political crisis, Mavi condemned the actions of the Rajasthan government for forcefully stopping its MLA from leaving. The BTP has said that it will remain neutral.
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