Rename Polavaram district after Tammanna Dora

Rajamahendravaram: The Adivasi Mahasabha has demanded that the newly-formed Rampachodavaram district be named after the late tribal freedom fighter Karam Tammanna Dora. Adivasi Mahasabha legal adviser Inapurapu Suryanarayana said the organization has launched a campaign on Adivasi rights from Saturday (January 3), marking the 123rd birth anniversary of Constituent Assembly member Jaipal Singh Munda, which will continue till Republic Day on January 26.

Speaking to the media at the Rajahmundry Press Club on Saturday, Suryanarayana said Tammanna Dora was one of the earliest tribal warriors who fought relentlessly against British rule in the struggle for self-rule. He recalled that Tammanna Dora led a lightning attack against the British in 1839 in which 12 British personnel were killed. Though theCentral government had recognised his sacrifice, the State government had so far failed to accord him due importance, he alleged.

Suryanarayana urged that resolutions be passed in Gram Sabhas scheduled on January 5 in support of naming the Rampachodavaram district after Karam Tammanna Dora. He said it was inappropriate to name a tribal district after a project that had caused severe injustice to Adivasi communities. Suryanarayana stated that naming the district after Karam Tammanna Dora would be more appropriate and respectful to tribal history. He also demanded that all jobs in Scheduled Areas be reserved for Adivasis. It further sought comprehensive implementation of the new land acquisition law, the PESA Act and the Forest Rights Act in connection with the Polavaram National Project and demanded justice for displaced families.