"Hello Banjara – Chalo Dilli" Campaign Launched in New Delhi
New Delhi : The national poster launch of the “Hello Banjara – Chalo Dilli / Delhi Aao Banjara – Bajao Nangara” campaign was held in New Delhi today, led by Banjara Bharat and the newly established Akhil Bharatiya Banjara Maha Seva Sangh. The event brought together Banjara community representatives from across India to highlight longstanding socio-economic challenges and present a unified set of demands to the Government of India.
Former MP and Patron cum Chairman of 'Banjara Bharat' Organisation Ravindra Naik, said that despite the passage of eight decades since independence, many Banjara Tandas, Naglas and Deras across nearly twenty states continue to lack basic amenities such as drinking water, roads, electricity, healthcare and education.
The community—which shares a common cultural and linguistic heritage but is classified differently across states under SC, ST, OBC and VJNT categories—remains socio-politically marginalised despite its sizeable presence in close to 200 parliamentary and 1,000 assembly constituencies.
The gathering revisited the historic contribution of Lakki Shah Banjara, whose Tanda once occupied the 350-acre area now known as Raisina Hills, where Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House and key national institutions stand today. Organisers reiterated the longstanding demand for settlement of the remaining land compensation, as only a portion was ever allotted in exchange.
Community leaders also urged the government to safeguard and restore Banjara-associated heritage and land in locations such as Lohagarh (Haryana), Mangarh (Rajasthan), Lakhi Sarai (Bihar), Mathura–Vrindavan (Uttar Pradesh), Sagar Lakki Shah Lake (Madhya Pradesh), Banjara Hills and Golconda Gate (Telangana), Baba Hathiram Math (Tirupati), and Kadambur Hills (Tamil Nadu).
The collective charter of demands includes the inclusion of Banjara/Gor Boli in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, building on the resolution passed by the Telangana Assembly. It also calls for uniform national recognition of all sixteen Banjara sub-groups under the principle of “One Nation, One Banjara” to eliminate discrepancies in constitutional status across states.
The organisations sought the creation of a National Banjara Tanda–Nagla–Dera Development Board to ensure essential services for settlements nationwide, alongside the establishment of a National Banjara Museum and National Banjara University in Delhi and Hyderabad to promote cultural research and education. They also raised concerns over the vulnerability of itinerant Banjara youth engaged in hawking and small trades across Indian cities, urging the government to provide official identity cards and structured protection against harassment.
Highlighting the low literacy levels among Banjara women, the community demanded the establishment of Banjara Women’s Residential Schools in 200 district headquarters. Additional requests included naming key roads in the National Capital Region after Banjara icons, forming a National Banjara Research and Development Commission, installing statues of Lakki Shah Banjara and Makkan Shah Lubana in the Parliament complex, naming a national train “Banjara Bharat Rail,” and establishing a Banjara Regiment to honour the community’s martial legacy.
The event concluded with a call for unity and collective mobilisation, with organisers urging the central government to urgently address these unresolved historical, cultural and developmental concerns.
