The Banjara communityBanjara community on Sunday demanded recognition as a tribal community and be placed under the Scheduled Tribe.
The community further demanded its language be added to the eighth schedule of the Constitution. Leaders from the community called for a Banjara Bhavan be set up on the premises of the new Parliament building, named after Baba Lakhisha Banjara.
These demands were made during the national Banjara Meet 2023 held at the Visvesvarayya Bhavan in Hyderabad. The community also demanded the establishment of the statue of Baba Lakhisha Banjara on the premises of Parliament; immediate appointment to the national Schedule Tribe Commission ; protection from harassment by revenue and police officials; establishment of a ST Commission at the state headquarters and free education for students from the Banjara community at all levels.
Addressing the meeting, Telangana Minister  for Tribal Welfare Satyawati Rathore assured the Banjaras that the government is working to construct roads worth Rs 2,000 crore across thandas (villages) and setting up 3,144 Gram Panchayats for tribals in the state. She backed the tribals’ demand for including Lambadi language in the eighth schedule of the Constitution.
The Minister then challenged the Bharatiya Janata Party led Centre to build the Banjara Bhavan and celebrate Sevalal Jayanti  like Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao does in Telangana. The Minister took a dig at the BJP for pledging to construct a temple in a thanda.
 GCC Chairman Valyanayak, former MP Sitaram Naik, All India Banjara Joint Action Committee President Simple Boy Rathore and State Organising Committee Chairman Professor Dr B Ramana Naik were present during the meet.
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