SANGUEM
The Dhangar community in Sanguem held a public meeting on Sunday, with around 1,300 members attending and demanding inclusion of the community in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category. The community warned of further agitation if the demand was not addressed.
The meeting was held at Shrison Plaza Hall in Sanguem and was attended by Dhangar community members and leaders from across Sanguem taluka. Speakers said the community had been waiting for the demand to be addressed and urged the government to act.
Former Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant “Babu” Kavlekar said the Dhangar community had been seeking the demand for nearly 23 years and that repeated assurances and efforts to resolve the issue had not produced results.
Kavlekar said Dhangar communities across Goa were organising determination meetings in their respective constituencies to draw the government’s attention to the issue. He said that despite meetings with State and Central government leaders and efforts to address objections raised over the years, new objections continued to emerge.
He also said the Dhangar issue had not been raised in the Goa Legislative Assembly during the past four-and-a-half years. Kavlekar said he had travelled to Delhi with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in the hope of securing a resolution, but the community was later informed that its report had been rejected.
“The days of deceiving the community are over. The youth have now awakened and are ready to take to the streets to demand their rights,” Kavlekar said, and appealed to the government to address the demand.
Community leader Laxman Kavlekar said Babu Kavlekar had worked for the Dhangar community and joined the BJP, but said assurances given by BJP leaders had not been fulfilled. He said the community would demonstrate its political strength in the forthcoming elections.
The meeting set August 15 as the deadline for the government to act on the demand.
Sanguem taluka Dhangar community president Babu Jangle said failure to meet the demand by the deadline would lead to a jail-bharo agitation in Panaji. He said the community was also prepared to take its protest to Jantar Mantar in Delhi.
Other speakers also warned of political consequences if the demand remained unresolved. Wagho Misal said the community had been seeking its rights for 23 years and demanded that it be given the rights guaranteed under the Constitution. Gangaram Lambor said the community could influence the outcome in several Assembly constituencies if it took a collective political decision.
The meeting was attended by community leaders, including Babu Kavlekar, Laxman Kavlekar, Vithu Kharat, Wagha Misal, Vithoba Kharat, Balu Rekdo, Savitri Kavlekar, Babu Jangle, Maya Jangle, Deepti Shingade, Deepak Lambor, Rama Misal, Sarpanch Bunda Vark and Manish Lambor, among others.
