Hyderabad: Claiming that it is unethical to carry out ‘Haritha Haaram’ in lands used by tribals for shifting agriculture (podu), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state chief Bandi Sanjay on Sunday demanded the chief minister to stop the program.
“The BJP is not against the haritha haaram program. We only object to the impact it has on tribal-owned agricultural lands,” he said in an open letter to the chief minister.
Sanjay added that nearly three and a half lakh tribal people have applied to the government to receive land ownership documents (patta) for the agricultural lands. “We would like to remind you that you announced you would also be giving the documents to the farmers yourself if required,” he said.
Sanjay said that since the announcement in the 2019 assembly session, the issue of shifting agricultural lands seems to be unresolved.
“According to the Central Forest Rights Act, the tribals have full rights over the forest, its resources and lands. It is an unforgivable crime for the Telangana Rashtriya Samithi (TRS) government to deny the rights of tribals,” he remarked.
Sanjay said that the risk of clashes in tribal areas increasing due to the government’s actions. “The government has sent tribal persons to jail on false cases in several districts,” he alleged.
He concluded by saying that the BJP will support the tribal communities as they fight the state government for land ownership.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Shreya Srikonda | 
