Maharashtra Deputy Speaker, MLAs jump off 3rd floor of Mantralaya building; dramatic video goes viral (WATCH)

In a dramatic turn of events, several tribal MLAs, including Deputy Speaker and NCP leader Narhari Zirwal, staged a high-stakes protest by by jumping from the third floor of Mumbai's Mantralaya, the state government headquarters. Fortunately, they fell onto a safety net installed for such emergencies. Zirwal, one of the most senior tribal legislators in the ruling coalition, and his colleagues were protesting the government's decision to halt the recruitment of Scheduled Tribe candidates under PESA (The Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act), and the proposal to grant Scheduled Tribe status to the Dhangar community ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.

The police swiftly intervened and escorted the MLAs from the nets. Alongside Zirwal, BJP MP Hemant Savra, and MLAs Kiran Lahamate, Hiraman Khoskar, and Rajesh Patil, among others, also jumped escalating the protest.

The tribal MLAs then staged a sit-in within the Mantralaya premises, refusing to leave until their demands were heard. They are pushing for the immediate recruitment of tribal candidates into government jobs under the PESA Act, which has been stalled since October 2023. The protestors highlighted that while appointments for teachers, forest guards, and other government positions had been filled by non-tribal candidates, the seats reserved for tribal candidates under PESA remain unfulfilled.

“Under PESA, tribal students were appointed but later they were told that they can’t get full-time appointments. They even tried to meet CM Shinde but they could not meet the CM. So they had to take an aggressive stand. They met the CM earlier on Friday but they were not satisfied with his response so they jumped onto the nets. They have been taken away by the police. Around 15-16 tribal MLAs were in Mantralaya and some of them jumped onto the nets,” an official disclosed, emphasizing the gravity of the situation.

This protest follows a letter that Zirwal had sent to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde last month, urging the MahaYuti government not to make any unconstitutional decisions about including the Dhangar community in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list. Zirwal demanded the release of a report by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) regarding the Dhangar reservation issue, underscoring the concerns of the tribal community.

Zirwal, who represents the tribal-dominated Dindori constituency, had earlier warned that their agitation was driven by the government's failure to address the demands of tribal MLAs, who opposed the inclusion of the Dhangar community in the ST category. He had stated in his letter that while the tribal community did not object to the government extending financial aid to the Dhangars, they were resolute in their opposition to the inclusion of Dhangars in the ST fold.

"As the government is not listening to us, we elected representatives — including former ones, such as senior politician Madhukar Pichad — will now sit in a dharna near Mantralaya until the government withdraws its decision. Govt can give anything to the Dhangar community, but do not include it in the ST category," Zirwal reiterated, voicing the tribal MLAs' unwavering stance. "I had already spoken against the govt resolution claiming Dhangar (in Maharashtra) and Dhangar (in the ST category) are the same."

Mantralaya has had safety nets installed since 2018 following a series of suicide attempts from the upper floors. The safety measures, however, have now become a symbol of protest, reflecting the frustration of tribal leaders whose demands for justice remain unaddressed.

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