ARA MP RAISED ISSUE FOR RECOGNITION OF MAHADALIT COMMUNITIES

ARA MP RAISED ISSUE FOR RECOGNITION OF MAHADALIT COMMUNITIES

9-AUG-ENG 32

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA------------------------Arrah MP Sudama demanded the government during the zero hour in Lok Sabha and said that I want to draw your immediate attention to a serious injustice affecting the Mahadalit community in Bihar, especially the Paan caste and its unrecognized synonyms - Tanti, Tattva and Tantva.

The "Pan/Sawasi" caste group is constitutionally recognized as Scheduled Caste (SC) under the Presidential Scheduled Caste/Tribe Order of 1950. However, despite clear ethnographic evidence and long prevalent local usage, synonymous castes like Tanti, Tattva and Tantva are still deprived of this recognition, because Bill No. 119 (B) of 1967, which recommended their inclusion, has not been passed yet.

This legislative inaction has led to systemic deprivation of constitutional rights, reservation benefits and representation for these communities — who are socially considered Mahadalits, but are not officially included in the SC category.

In 2015, the state government attempted to address the issue through an executive order. However, in July 2024, the Supreme Court struck down this decision, saying only Parliament can amend the SC list under Article 341 of the Constitution.

Since then, thousands of community members have been staging dharnas and protests in districts such as Begusarai, Araria and Bhagalpur, demanding justice. I demand the central government to immediately pass the pending amendment bill. At the same time, I also demand that until that happens, interim measures be taken so that the rights and representation of this disadvantaged group are not further taken away. This is not just a legal matter — it is a question of historic justice for the most exploited sections of our society.