The Maharashtra government has constituted a 27-member committee to examine whether Scheduled Tribe (ST) members who convert to another religion should continue to receive reservation and other government benefits, reopening a politically and constitutionally sensitive issue that has long been raised by RSS-affiliated organisations and sections of the BJP.A Government Resolution (GR) issued by the state’s Tribal Development Department on July 16 said the committee, headed by Tribal Development Minister Ashok Uike, will examine the constitutional and legal position governing reservation and welfare benefits for STs after religious conversion, study the approach followed by the Centre and other states, and recommend a policy for Maharashtra.The GR, however, does not specify any deadline for the committee to submit its recommendations.Also Read | Maharashtra sets up panel on Pasmanda Muslims, signals BJP’s outreach pushUike did not respond to phone calls or text messages.The issue is legally distinct from that of Scheduled Castes (SCs). While SC reservation is linked to religion under the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, there is no such restriction for STs. Under Article 342 of the Constitution, STs continue to be recognised as STs, irrespective of the religion they profess.The issue has figured in the Sangh Parivar’s tribal outreach agenda. In May this year, the Janjatiya Suraksha Manch (JSM), backed by the RSS-affiliated Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, submitted memoranda to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the “delisting” of STs who convert to another religion. It argued that those who give up traditional tribal faith, customs and culture after conversion should no longer be entitled to ST benefits. It also sought amendments or clarifications to the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, a statutory definition of ‘Scheduled Tribe” and stronger anti-conversion laws.The demand gathered momentum in May, when a large Sangh-affiliated Adivasi gathering in New Delhi, attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, sought the “delisting” of STs who convert to Christianity or Islam.Story continues below this adAlso Read | Explained: Why over 1,000 tribal PESA Mobilisers are set to protest todayEchoing the Sangh Parivar’s position, Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu (BJP) had told The Indian Express in an interview in August 2024: “The Hindu religion never talks of anyone’s religious conversion. We are believers of Sanatan Sanskriti. We respect all religions. We have never told anyone to convert. But the Congress has always pushed religious conversion in the interest of vote-bank politics. Why should those who have converted get the benefit of that (ST) community? Those who are in a particular community should reap the benefits of that community, as per the Constitution framed by Dr B R Ambedkar, so that all sections get the benefits.”The question assumes particular significance in Maharashtra, where STs account for 9.35% of the state’s population. According to the 2011 Census, the state’s ST population grew from 85.77 lakh in 2001 to over 1.05 crore, cutting across several faiths. While 97.2% of the STs identified as Hindus, the Census also recorded 1.13 lakh Muslims, over 20,000 Christians and nearly 21,000 Buddhists, besides smaller numbers of Sikhs and Jains.Between 2001 and 2011, the Muslim ST population grew by 49.1%, Buddhist STs by 114.8% and Jains nearly six-fold, while the Christian ST population declined by 34.8%.The state committee will be chaired by Uike and includes Minister of State for Tribal Development Indranil Naik, Food and Drug Administration Minister Narhari Zirwal, MLAs representing ST constituencies, and the Commissioner of the Tribal Research and Training Institute (TRTI), Pune, as member secretary.Story continues below this adAlso Read | ‘Sheer callousness’: Bombay High Court slams Maharashtra over Forest Rights Act delayThe move follows an assurance given by the state government during the 2025 Monsoon Session of the Assembly, after BJP legislators raised allegations of religious conversions among tribals in Nandurbar district and questioned whether those who convert should continue to get benefits.This is not the first time that the Mahayuti government has examined the issue. In 2023, it constituted a three-member committee to probe allegations that ST students who had converted to other religions were availing reservation benefits in Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs). An interim report tabled in the Assembly in March 2024 identified 257 students admitted under the ST quota who had declared a religion other than Hinduism. While the government announced that these admissions would be scrutinised, no further action followed amid criticism from tribal organisations and legal experts.“This entire issue is illogical and driven by the RSS agenda. The RSS and the Vanvasi organisations have been raising this demand for years, and, despite being in power in several states, they know it cannot be implemented without a constitutional amendment. The Constitution does not make religion a criterion for ST status. What is being attempted is unconstitutional and part of Hindutva politics,” Dr Sanjay Dabhade, a tribal rights activist and state committee member of the National Forum for Tribal Rights, said.