SULTHAN BATHERY, February 27: Dr Nalla Thampy Thera, the first petitioner in the Tribal Land case pending at the Kerala High Court and who fought many legal battles on issues like Bofors and Babri Masjid, appealed the people and especially the tribals not to exercise their votes in favour political parties that consistently denied the rights of scheduled castes and schedules tribes.He said that democratic process has become a failure in India as the Legislature, Executive and the Judiciary refused to provide justice to the oppressed. Numerous anti-social elements and worst criminals were continuing to hold positions of power with the help of booth capturing and goondaism of every description.
The landless, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and minorities should not vote candidates who not only usurped tribal lands but also tried to legitimise it through the unconstitutional Kerala Scheduled Tribes (Restriction on Transfer and Restoration of Alienated Lands) Amendment Bill, 1996, Thampy told TheIndian Express.
``The political parties now in the fray failed to bestow protection to alienated lands of scheduled castes and even refused to give SC status to scheduled caste Christians. Why they should support these political parties which not only deny justice to the oppressed people but also take away their legitimate rights?''
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
