Will ST status to Hatti community help BJP in Himachal Pradesh polls?

The name 'Hattis' derives from the fact that this community sells vegetables, meats, and wool from their own farms to the nearest town markets known as ‘Haats’

As the political battle in Himachal Pradesh heats up, campaigning is at its peak with parties trying to woo different communities in the state. The BJP, however, seems to be ahead at this game as it has agreed to grant Scheduled Tribe status to the prominent Hatti community living in Trans-Giri region of Himachal Pradesh.

On September 14, the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the Constitution amendment bill seeking to grant tribal status to the Hatti community in the poll-bound Himachal Pradesh.

The move has been touted as an attempt by the ruling BJP government to woo around 2.5 lakh (2011 census) members of the community by paving the way for the Hattis to be able to reap benefits under various government schemes rolled out for Scheduled Tribes.

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However, will the move help BJP swing the Hatti community's support in its favour in the upcoming elections on November 12? Considering that the Hatti community has been demanding tribal status since 1967, the move is likely to help the saffron party increase its vote share in around five constituencies namely Balti, Shillai, Paonta Sahib, Pachhad and Nahan in the Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh. The Hattis account for nearly 30 per cent of the vote share in these constituencies.

Pradeep Gupta, an election trend analyst at Axis India, told DH that this move will definitely have a huge impact on BJP's electoral gain at least in these five constituencies. "The BJP has announced the approval of a Constitution amendment to bring the Hatti community under the status of Scheduled Tribes a few months before the polls, viewing that it would translate into votes and it will," Gupta said.

Resentment among SCs

However, the move seems to have raised concerns among people from Schedule Castes, who account for 30 per cent of the population in the Sirmaur district. The group feels that the move to grant Hattis the ST status could affect the benefits given to them under the SC reservation.

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According to Ramesh K Chauhan, a professor of Political Science at Himachal Pradesh University, feels that the gain BJP is expecting out of this move might get cancelled out because of the fear it has generated among other communities. "The SCs of the area are threatened by the move and think if the area is declared a tribal area, they might lose the benefits they get under the SC quota at the moment," Chauhan said.

Gupta, however, feels that these fears are "unfounded". "Those are two separate reservations and giving benefits to one doesn’t mean that benefits will be taken from the other group," he said.

Other concerns

While the BJP has fulfilled its election promise to give ST status to the Hattis, there are other concerns within the community. Those living in the Kamrau, Sangrah, and Shilliai areas of Himachal Pradesh lag behind in both education and employment due to its topographical disadvantages. Meanwhile, the Hatti community residing in Jaunsar-Bawar, the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, have seen significant improvement in the socio-economic status of their community after they were given the tribal status in 1967. These have added to the concerns of the Hattis in the state.

"The prosperity of their community on the other side of the tributary, and lack of education and employment on this side contineu to bother the Hatti community in Himachal Pradesh," Chauhan said.