CANACONA
Minister for Tribal Affairs Ramesh Tawadkar has demanded an immediate apology from activist Rama Kankonkar to the United Tribal Associations Alliance (UTAA) and the tribal community of Goa over his alleged “mastermind” remark against Tawadkar and former MP Narendra Sawaikar.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, Tawadkar accused Kankonkar of working with the opposition and making baseless and unrealistic allegations.
“Kankonkar needs to apologise to Prakash Velip, the UTAA Sanghatana, and seek forgiveness from the tribal community,”
Tawadkar said.
Referring to the 2011 Balli agitation organised by the UTAA, a coalition of eight Gauda, Kunbi and Velip (GAKUVED) organisations, Tawadkar said he had participated in the protest as an activist and president of Adarsh Yuva Sangh.
He said Kankonkar had alleged that Tawadkar and Adv. Narendra Sawaikar were the “masterminds” behind the deaths of tribal youths Mangesh Gaonkar and Deelip Velip during the agitation.
Tawadkar said the UTAA, under the leadership of Prakash Velip, had launched the agitation to press for tribal rights through a 12-point charter of demands.
“As our legitimate demands were not met because of the non-cooperation of the then Congress government, we were forced to take a strong stand. The Balli agitation took place in 2011, during which two of our youths lost their lives,” he said.
Rejecting Kankonkar’s allegation, Tawadkar said that when the UTAA was formed in 2004 under the leadership of Prakash Velip, neither he nor Sawaikar was
part of it.
“I began supporting the UTAA only in 2008 to strengthen its movement. It is wrong to call Adv Sawaikar and me the ‘masterminds’ behind those deaths,” Tawadkar said.
