Madhya Pradesh’s scrutiny committee found out that Jyoti Dhurve, Member of Parliament from Bharatiya Janata Party belonged to the Bisen/Panwar caste and not to Gond Scheduled Tribe, as claimed in her certificate.
The decision of the state’s scrutiny committee to annul the caste certificate of BJP MP from Betul (ST) Jyoti Dhurve has been upheld by a review panel of the state tribal welfare department.
Betul is a reserved parliamentary constituency for Scheduled Tribes.
Collector Tarun Pithode on Monday acted on the basis of a report and told sources that he had received from the tribal welfare department.
Dhurve’s caste certificate was annulled in 2017 by the scrutiny committee that has been mandated by the state government to look into complaints pertaining to caste documents.
The committee found that Dhurve’s certificate claimed otherwise of the reality. Her certificate belonged to the Bisen/Panwar caste and not to Gond Scheduled Tribe.
The government had later directed the district collector to initiate legal action and confiscate her caste certificate. However, Dhurve filed an appeal before the department.
As per a media report, it claimed the Jyoti Dhurve’s father Mahadev, belonged to Panwar/Bisen caste, and during the course of the investigation, he could not furnish any evidence of him being a Gond.
Gond Mother, Bisen Father
The committee further claimed that even though the politician’s mother belonged to the Gond tribe, since the child’s caste is ascertained on the basis of paternal lineage, she belongs to Panwar/Bisen community.
The department found on the basis of the committee’s findings that Dhurve’s caste is “indisputably Bisen/Pawar,” which is not notified as a Scheduled Tribe (ST) in the state, said the order issued on February 6 by tribal development commissioner Dipali Rastogi.
Committee Carried Out Inquiry Following A Complaint
The committee recommended cancellation of Dhurve’s caste certificate in April 2017 and issued an order in this regard in May. Following an appeal from the parliamentarian on May 5, 2017, the committee stayed the order and offered her time to furnish documents to support her claims.
Dhurve was elected as Lok Sabha member from Betul for the first time in 2009 and was re-elected in 2014. Questions were raised on her caste, after her victory in 2009. However, she has been unreachable by both local and national media for her comments on the same.
The scrutiny committee had carried out the inquiry following a complaint by lawyer Shankar Pendram in 2009. Pendram had demanded that the nomination of Dhurve, who was then the BJP’s candidate for Betul Lok Sabha seat, reserved for ST candidates, be cancelled on the ground that her Gond tribe caste certificate was not genuine.
Dhurve Can Lose Membership: BD Israni
The former principal secretary of MP assembly, BD Israni, however, on the issue said Dhurve could lose membership to parliament, though she could move the court for relief.
A decision in this regard could only be taken by the President or Election Commission of India, he added.
Stay tuned for more updates!
