Seating row at event to celebrate tribal empowerment

At Puducherry, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's launch of 'Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra' sparked a row over tribal members being seated on the floor. Lt. Governor Soundararajan reaffirmed commitment to tribal empowerment & led floral tributes to Birsa Munda. A tribal activist raised issues of pattas & MUDRA loans. Officials arranged extra chairs & the Lt. Governor assured resolution of issues. Leader of Opposition criticized govt. for "humiliating treatment" & urged to include some communities in STs list. Raj Nivas issued notices to officials for inadequate seating arrangements.

An event to mark the launch of the ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’ by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday sparked off a minor row over members of tribal communities being seated on the floor during the programme.

Addressing the event at Kamban Kalaiarangam that featured the live telecast of the launch of the scheme by the Prime Minister for last-mile delivery of tribal welfare benefits, coinciding with the birth anniversary of iconic tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda, the Lt. Governor reaffirmed the Puducherry government’s commitment to working in line with the national vision for tribal empowerment.

Ms. Soundararajan said she would, in association with Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, strive to fulfil the needs and uphold the rights of tribal communities in Puducherry. She also led floral tributes to the freedom fighter of Khunti in Jharkhand.

Mid-way into the proceedings, a minor commotion broke out over some members of the tribal community sitting on the floor due to inadequate space and lack of chairs in the packed hall.

As officials scurried to arrange extra chairs and create additional rows, a tribal activist got up to express his condemnation over the delay in the issuance of ‘pattas’ in various tribal settlements and the lack of access to MUDRA loans.

The members settled down after the Lt. Governor assured them that their issues would be resolved if they filed a petition.

Apart from Mr. Rangasamy, Speaker R. Selvam, Member of Parliament S. Selvaganabathy, Public Works Minister K. Lakshminarayanan, Minister for Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs A.K. Sai J. Saravanan Kumar, Deputy Speaker P. Rajavelu and government officials participated in the event.