The Centre’s decision to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the electorally dominant Hatti community in Himachal Pradesh and Proposal to give tribal status to Sirmaur district where they are based, they are expected to promote BJPThere is a possibility in the coming assembly elections.
The BJP had won 44 out of 68 seats in the 2017 assembly elections. On the other hand, the 2022 election, which is due in November, is proving to be a triangular contest between the BJP, the Congress and the Congress. Aam Aadmi PartyWhich is fresh from the victory in Punjab in March.
Against this background the support of three lakh members of the Hatti community can prove to be decisive. While they are concentrated in four constituencies (Shilai, Paonta, Renuka and Pachhar) of Sirmaur district, they play a significant role in at least nine seats in Shimla and Sirmaur.
ST status in final stage of approvalIn addition, if the proposal for tribal status for Simour is approved, it will ensure reservation benefits for the communities living in the area.
The state had earlier submitted a proposal to notify areas of Trans-Giri, Shimla’s Dodra Kwar sub-division, Shimla and Kullu in Sirmaur district as scheduled areas. The ministry examined the proposal but did not consider it due to “lack of parameters”.
State BJP president Suresh Kashyap, who hails from Simour, said: “If the proceedings are not cleared in the current parliamentary session, there is a possibility that an ordinance will be introduced, following which a notification will be issued. The government is looking after the development of all sections of the society.”
A close-knit community, the Hatti are spread over the Trans-Giri (inhabited between the Giri and Tons rivers) and Jaunsar Bawar regions in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand respectively. The larger area was once part of the Sirmour royal estate until it was conquered by the British in 1815.
Trans-Giri Hatti have been demanding reservation since 1967, when members living in the Jaunsar Bawar region were given tribal status. Over the years, the demand continued to strengthen with resolutions passed in the Khumbalis, which are traditional, powerful councils similar to the khap panchayats in Haryana. They remain untouched by the Panchayati Raj system.
The BJP first recognized this demand by including it in its manifesto during the 2009 assembly elections, the first party to do so. The community then put its weight behind the party, and the promise reappeared in subsequent BJP manifestos.
In 2014, the then BJP national president Rajnath Singh had announced ST status to the Hatis during a rally in Nahan, Sirmaur. The BJP has benefited from community support in recent parliamentary elections, especially in Shimla, once a Congress stronghold.
The Huttis traditionally sell domestic vegetables, crops, meat and wool in small markets called ‘Haats’, which are named after them. Trans-Giri and Jaunsar Bawar, names of clans within the community also share similar traditions. There is a rigid caste system within the Hattis: the Bhats and Khashs constitute the upper castes, while the Badhois are below them. Inter-caste marriages are traditionally celebrated in these castes.