Congress alleges BJP bid to weaken tribal reservation over Madhya Pradesh Civil Judge exam

The Congress party on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of pursuing a deliberate strategy to dilute reservations and push tribals into a “crisis” and cited the Madhya Pradesh Civil Judge Exam 2022.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, Adivasi Congress chairman Vikrant Bhuria demanded that the judicial exams be withdrawn and a high-level probe be launched into why a single tribal candidate was not selected despite constitutionally mandated quotas.

Mr. Bhuria alleged that the BJP government was systematically undermining tribal rights as the community was losing land, legal protections, and even political representation.

“The BJP government is orchestrating the Great Indian Tribal Crisis across the country. Under BJP rule, tribal communities are being devastated. Tribal people are not receiving justice and are struggling even to preserve their identity. The lands of tribal communities are being seized,” he alleged.

“We are saying this because in the results of the 2022 Civil Judge exam in Madhya Pradesh, despite reservations, the selection of tribal candidates is zero,” Mr. Bhuria added.

He pointed out that Madhya Pradesh, home to nearly two crore tribal citizens, had reserved 121 seats for Scheduled Tribe candidates in the 2022 Civil Judge exam. Yet none were selected. He said this was not an isolated case but part of a pattern, noting that no tribal candidate had been appointed since 2021. If vacancies continue for years, he warned, they risk being shifted to the general category, “a systematic way to end reservation”.

Speaking on the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the Congress leader also demanded a national migrant policy for tribal communities, arguing that seasonal migration leaves them vulnerable to exclusion. He criticised the government’s “hasty” SIR, saying it took place when many tribal families were away for work. “This is a conspiracy to systematically exclude tribals from the voting process,” Mr. Bhuria alleged.

He further raised concerns about large-scale deforestation in Singrauli, alleging that thousands of tribals were receiving eviction notices to make way for corporate projects. Such actions, he said, violate both the PESA Act and the Forest Rights Act and deepen the ongoing distress in tribal regions.