PANAJI
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has assured the Dhangar community in Goa that the Centre will work towards resolving its long-pending demands, including the grant of Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, former Deputy Chief Minister and Dhangar community leader Chandrakant (Babu) Kavlekar said.
The assurance came during Shah’s visit to Goa for the inauguration of the new BJP State headquarters.
Earlier, representatives of the Dhangar community met Goa BJP president Damu Naik and pressed for action on their pending demands.
Community members questioned when they would be taken to New Delhi for discussions with the Central leadership and when the Centre would actively pursue their demand for ST status.
The representatives expressed strong dissatisfaction over the delay and sought a firm timeline for a meeting in Delhi. They warned that they would not stay passive if their demands continued to be ignored.
Following these developments, a delegation led by Kavlekar met Shah and held detailed discussions on the issue.
Kavlekar said he informed the Home Minister that the Dhangar community has been fighting for ST status for the past 23 years.
He said the inquiry process conducted by the Registrar General of India (RGI) has already been completed, paving the way for further consideration of the demand.
During the meeting, the delegation highlighted the social and economic challenges faced by the community and urged the Centre to expedite the process.
According to Kavlekar, Shah listened to the concerns and sentiments of community members and responded positively.
He said, the Home Minister assured the delegation that an appropriate solution would be found to address the issue.
The delegation expressed confidence that the Union Home Ministry would take positive steps to resolve the long-pending matter at the earliest.
BJP leaders also assured the community that the issue would be pursued at the highest levels and that a high-level meeting in New Delhi would be organised soon to take the matter forward.
