MARGAO
The United Tribal Associations Alliance (UTAA), which has launched what it describes as a mass movement to secure political reservation for Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities in the 2027 Assembly elections, has appealed to government and semi-government employees from the ST community to donate 10 per cent of one month’s salary to support the campaign.
Defending the appeal, UTAA chief Prakash Velip said there was nothing inappropriate about seeking financial support from members of the community. “UTAA has not approached corporates or political parties to sponsor the movement for securing the constitutional rights of Goa’s tribal communities. We have only appealed to community members who are in a position to contribute generously towards this cause,” Velip told The Goan.
In his appeal, Velip said the organisation had launched a Statewide awareness campaign on the constitutional rights of Goa’s tribal communities, particularly the long-pending demand for reservation of Assembly seats ahead of the 2027 elections.
“In this regard, UTAA appeals to all government and semi-government employees belonging to the ST community in Goa to generously donate 10 per cent of their one month’s salary to help take this mass movement to its logical conclusion,” the appeal stated. The organisation has also shared its bank account details for contributions.
Meanwhile, Velip said UTAA leaders have fanned out across tribal-dominated wards and villages to educate people about their constitutional rights and mobilise support for the proposed “Chalo Panjim” rally on August 13.
“So far, our leaders have covered more than 100 of the nearly 650 ST-inhabited wards across the State. Every day, teams are visiting around 20 to 25 wards to create awareness about the community’s constitutional rights, with particular emphasis on the long-pending issue of political reservation,” he said.
When asked whether UTAA had fixed any deadline for the government to implement the law providing political reservation for ST communities, Velip said no ultimatum had been issued.
