MARGAO
The recent political developments unfolding within the ruling BJP's Scheduled Tribe (ST) camp — starting with the removal of Minister Govind Gaude from the Pramod Sawant Cabinet and culminating in a stay on the functioning of the United Tribal Association Alliance (UTAA) led by Prakash Velip — have raised a host of unanswered questions both within the ruling dispensation and beyond.
For, the BJP leadership’s swift and calculated move to take on the UTAA Chief suggests that the saffron party is prepared to confront any potential challenge from the Govind Gaude–Prakash Velip combine in the political scheme of things.
The way the ruling dispensation mobilised the party’s ST functionaries, right from Zilla Panchayat members to party leaders and former MLAs, to corner Velip suggests the party has made a calculated move to ward off any attempts that may cause damage to the party’s hold over the crucial ST core vote base.
Take note, when the BJP leadership mulled action against Minister Gaude for his outburst against the Tribal Welfare department, the UTAA Chief and other ST leaders had come out in Gaude’s defence, even blaming the media for blowing his statements out of proportion. This has thrown up a question whether the BJP leadership launched a pre-emptive strike on Velip, post-Gaude’s axe, to prevent UTAA from making a common cause with the ousted minister.
Calculated risk?
The BJP seemed to have taken a calculated risk when the leadership signalled a move against the UTAA Chief. For, the BJP leadership is aware of Prakash Velip’s standing in political and grassroots circles.
A man who spearheaded the agitation over a decade and a half ago to secure the constitutional rights of Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities, Velip has been an ex-MLA, having represented Quepem in the Goa Legislative Assembly on four occasions.
The BJP is equally aware that Velip maintains a close connect with grassroots movements, especially among co-operative agricultural farmers. His Adarsh Krishi Society boasts around 35,000 members, the overwhelming majority of whom belong to ST communities. In addition, Velip heads the Quepem Urban Co-operative Society, which has thousands of members — not only from ST-dominated talukas, but also from across the State.
This raises a crucial question: has the BJP taken the calculated risk in confronting Prakash Velip, who, besides heading UTAA, is a leader of powerful co-operative networks with deep roots and broad support among ST communities?
Opportunity for Congress?
It’s an open secret that the ST vote has traditionally aligned with the BJP, as evident by the number of MLAs elected on the party banner from the ST-dominated areas. In fact, the Congress has long been accused of its failure to nurture political leadership from within the ST community at the grassroots level.
The Congress leadership may soon have to grapple with the same old question — has the party chalked out any action plan to make inroads into the ST vote bank in a bid to garner a slice of the ST cake in view of the recent developments unfolding in the BJP ST camp?
Political observers point out that the turmoil in the BJP’s ST ranks could present an opportunity for the opposition Congress, if it is ready and willing to act decisively.
