1 week ago
BJP Taps First-Time MP To Counter BAP’s Tribal Rise
Manna Lal Rawat is a new politician from Rajasthan who quickly became important in the BJP.
He won a parliamentary election from Udaipur in 2024.
The BJP then made him leader of its group that works with tribal communities.
This happened because another party, the BAP, is becoming popular in South Rajasthan.
The BAP won the Banswara-Dungarpur parliamentary seat and several state seats.
BAP leader Rajkumar Roat says tribal people have a distinct identity and supports creating a region called Bhil Pradesh.
Rawat says the BJP wants to protect tribal culture while focusing on development and government programs.
The disagreement is about tribal identity, regional autonomy and which party can best represent tribal voters.
Manna Lal Rawat left Rajasthan’s transport department in 2024, joined the BJP and won the Udaipur Lok Sabha seat by more than 2.6 lakh votes.
The BJP appointed Rawat, a first-time MP, as president of its Scheduled Tribes Morcha.
The Bharatiya Adivasi Party has expanded across South Rajasthan, winning three Assembly seats in 2023 and the Banswara-Dungarpur Lok Sabha seat in 2024.
The BAP supports a proposed Bhil Pradesh spanning parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Rawat says the BJP will focus on constitutional development, tribal welfare, employment and reducing migration rather than a separatist agenda.
- Who
- Manna Lal Rawat, the BJP, the Bharatiya Adivasi Party and its leader Rajkumar Roat.
- What
- The BJP appointed Rawat to lead its Scheduled Tribes Morcha as it responds to the BAP’s rise among tribal voters.
- Where
- South Rajasthan, particularly the tribal belt covering areas including Udaipur and Banswara-Dungarpur.
- When
- Rawat joined the BJP and won the Udaipur Lok Sabha seat in 2024; the BAP’s recent electoral gains occurred in the 2023 Assembly and 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
- Why
- The BJP is concerned about shifting tribal support and the BAP’s challenge to the traditional BJP-Congress contest.
BAP’s Tribal Identity And Regional Autonomy
BJP’s Constitutional Development Approach
Tribal identity
BAP’s Tribal Identity And Regional Autonomy
Rajkumar Roat says tribal identity is distinct from religious identity and that tribal communities have their own practices and customs.
BJP’s Constitutional Development Approach
Manna Lal Rawat says the BJP upholds tribal culture while opposing approaches he considers divisive.
Bhil Pradesh
BAP’s Tribal Identity And Regional Autonomy
The BAP advocates a Bhil Pradesh covering parts of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.
BJP’s Constitutional Development Approach
The BJP rejects the proposal as a separatist agenda and says it will work within the Constitution.
Political priorities
BAP’s Tribal Identity And Regional Autonomy
The BAP presents its regional identity agenda as a way to represent tribal interests independently of the mainstream parties.
BJP’s Constitutional Development Approach
Rawat says the BJP will emphasize agriculture, employment, skill development, government schemes and stopping tribal migration.
Key facts
- Rawat’s previous role
- He was an additional commissioner in Rajasthan’s transport department before joining politics.
- Udaipur result
- Rawat won the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Udaipur by more than 2.6 lakh votes.
- New BJP position
- He became president of the BJP’s Scheduled Tribes Morcha.
- BAP Assembly performance
- The BAP won the Chorasi, Aspur and Dhariyawad Assembly seats in 2023.
- Banswara-Dungarpur result
- The BAP won the 2024 parliamentary seat by nearly 2.5 lakh votes.
- BAP vote shares
- The BAP received 53.92% in Chorasi, 46.7% in Aspur and 37.67% in Dhariyawad in 2023.
- Bhil Pradesh proposal
- The BAP says the proposed region would include parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Quotes
Manna Lal Rawat
BJP MP and newly appointed president of the party’s Scheduled Tribes Morcha
“These things have been taken note of. The BJP still maintains its hold on the tribals. If you see the seats in West Bengal, the BJP won all 16 reserved seats. We will address the issue of South Rajasthan. The BAP is talking about a Bhil Pradesh. We will work within the framework of the Constitution and we will talk about development to consolidate our vote bank. Under the leadership of Modiji there are many schemes to improve agriculture, provide employment and stop migration of tribals. This is”
NDTV
“We realise the need to engage with the tribal youth. The BAP says many things on social media. They share a map of the Bhil Pradesh that was made during British colonial rule. What is the relevance of boundaries drawn by the British? These things create divisions in society. The BJP, on the other hand, is celebrating and upholding tribal culture by commemorating the Janjati Gaurav Diwas each year.”
NDTV
Sources
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