New Delhi [India], August 14 (ANI): Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of 'stealing' the rights of Bahujans either through the removal of their names from the voter list or by 'disappearing' forest rights titles of Adivasis (Tribals).

'Kagaz mitao, Adhikaar churao - the BJP has made this a new weapon for the oppression of Bahujans. On one hand, they remove the names of Dalits and backward classes from the voter list, and on the other, they make the forest rights titles of tribals 'disappear,'' Gandhi, who is the Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha, posted on X.

Referring to a news report published by an English daily, Gandhi flagged the issue of 'missing' forest rights titles in government records in Chhattisgarh. He said that over half of the total forest rights titles have been 'made' to vanish in the Rajnandgaon district.

'In Chhattisgarh's Bastar (2,788) and Rajnandgaon (more than half), the records of thousands of forest rights titles have been suddenly made to vanish,' Gandhi said.

'The Congress enacted the Forest Rights Act to protect the water, forest, and land of Tribals - the BJP is weakening it and snatching their primary rights,' he added.

Calling Tribals as 'first owners' of the country, Gandhi emphasised Congress' resolve to protect their rights. 'We will protect their rights at all costs,' he said.

The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, also called the Forest Rights Act (FRA), deals with the recognition of various rights for forest dwellers, including Scheduled Tribes (STs) and other traditional communities.

Under section 3 of the Bare Act, the Forest Dwelling Scheduled Tribes (FDST) and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFD) have been granted legal rights for ownership and use of forest land and resources.

The Forest Rights Act has many names, including Tribal Act or Tribal Rights Act, apart from its official title. It was enacted to correct the historical wrongs that occurred during colonial rule, where Adivasis and other traditional forest-dwelling communities were criminalised by law for using forest resources. (ANI)