Tribal Affairs is a ‘punishment posting’ for ‘progressive’ Raghav Chadha

“Are ji hum to Rajneeti badalane aaye hain ji,” These were words when a newly activist turned politician Arvind Kejriwal stepped into the political ecosystem of India by launching his own political outfit, the Aam Aadmi Party. However, it was soon exposed that the ‘Aam Aadmis’ are just some ‘Khaas Aadmis’ who want to taste royalty and live life king size. The recent comment of Raghav Chadha, the apple of Kejriwal’s eye stands in deposition for the same.

For Raghav Chadha, Tribal posting is a punishment posting

Raghav Chadha owns several feathers in his cap. Chadha is an alumnus of the London School of  Economics. The London School graduate thinks that transferring officers to Tribal postings is punishment.

AAP’s Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha has come under fire on microblogging platform Twitter as a clip of his recent interview to a youtuber is doing rounds on the platform.

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In the video interview, Chadha can be heard mocking the tribal section on the Indian community by demeaning the Tribal ministry. On the question of transfer of firing officials from their jobs, Chadha remarked, “You can’t fire any official from their jobs. Okay? You can only transfer them.”

Explaining his modus operandi of transfer of officers, he further added,“If someone is working very well, give him a good department to work in. Make them the health secretary or the home secretary. If someone is doing a bad job, then give them a posting in tribal affairs and say that this is your punishment posting. Something of that sort, right?”

Netizens call out the hypocrisy of Chadha

While both the interviewer and Chadha laughed at the moment and the interviewer suggested some corrections to Chadha by remarking, “This is a slightly politically incorrect statement.” To which Chadha accepted that he is incorrect and said, “I know it is incorrect but I am trying to make you understand. Send them to horticulture.”

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Chadha’s statement has met with severe criticism on the internet. The Bhartiya Janata Party’s Scheduled Tribal Morcha said, “See the petty mindset of Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha towards the tribal community.”

Dr. Saibir Neelsehri wrote in his tweet, “His statement is an insult to Tribal department, which is very important department. He should apologize for his casual remark.”

Mukesh Rathwa, vice president of Gujarat state’s Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, tweeted, “By calling the tribal upliftment department a punishment posting, the Aam Aadmi Party has introduced its “real” ideology how they think of tribals as inferiors.”

According to the 2011 census, India has a tribal population of 104 million, that constitutes more than 8 per cent of country’s total population. The statements that Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha had made were not just demeaning to the tribals that are the Adivasis of the country, but also expose the anti-tribal mindset of the Aam Aadmi Party.