Chhattisgarh govt says Ajit Jogi not a tribal

Bhopal: The Chhattisgarh government has annulled tribal status of former chief minister Ajit Jogi. A notification in this regard has been issued by Bilashpur district administration which had accorded him tribal status nearly three decades ago.

The development comes in the wake of recent recommendation by a high-powered committee, appointed by Chhattisgarh high court to probe Mr Jogi’s caste status, to declare him non-tribal since the documents produced in this connection before it did not establish that he was an adivasi.

Mr Jogi had represented Marwahi Assembly constituency, reserved for Scheduled Tribe, earlier claiming him to be tribe. He had vacated the seat to his son Amit in the last Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh.

The court had earlier appointed the high-powered committee to find out Mr Jogi’s caste status in response to a petition by senior BJP leader and chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, Nand Kumar Sai.

While hailing the decision by the Bilashpur district administration to cancel Mr Jogi’s tribal certificate, Mr Sai said the commission was probing If Mr Jogi could be booked under law for getting undue privileges, provided for a tribal, by claiming him an adivasi.

Opposition Congress in Chhattisgarh also hailed the decision by the Chhattisgarh government to cancel tribal status of Mr Jogi and demanded to lodge a FIR against him for making the “false” claim of being an adivasi.

Besides, the party also demanded to declare his son Amit a non-tribal which would lead to his disqualification as a member of Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly.

In a press statement, the junior Jogi however put up a brave front alleging that it was a conspiracy by chief minister Raman Singh to rob his father of tribal status to settle political rivalry with him.

Describing the high-powered committee appointed by the court as “Raman-powered committee”, he said the Jogis would move court against its recommendation.

“We have been denied tribal status earlier by such committees and had successfully contested their decisions in courts”, he said.