RISING FROM THE ROOTS

As the Bhils’ demand for a state gets louder, a new party is challenging BJP and Congress

- SONI MISHRA

A rain-washed day is unfolding and the verdant hills and meadows of Banswara are resplendent in their green finery. Though the humidity makes it oppressively warm, the winding road leading up to the monument of Mangarh Dham is abuzz with a festival-like atmosphere. The monument has immense social and historical importance for the Bhil tribe, and the energy-sapping weather does not stop them from trudging up the hill. Many of them carry decorated bows and arrows. The mood is celebratory as groups of people arrive playing traditional musical instruments and singing joyously.

Banswara is a stark contrast to the arid terrain of Rajasthan. It is also the setting of an intense social and political churn. The mobilisation of Bhils as a group keen to assert its identity is evident as they gathered in massive numbers at the Mangarh Dham, built in remembrance of the 1,500 Bhils who were killed by the British in 1913.

Over a lakh Bhils gathered at Mangarh Dham on July 18 demanding Bhil Pradesh, a separate state for the tribal community that will comprise 43 Bhil-dominated districts in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. It is not a new demand, but has grown louder of late, as a campaign is on in the tribal-dominated districts to mobilise the Adivasis as a socially and politically aware group. The movement has now got an electoral boost, with the Bharat Adivasi Party, formed in September 2023, winning three assembly seats in Rajasthan and one in Madhya Pradesh, and also the Banswara Lok Sabha seat.