ST leaders and community members gathered at the meeting to demand political reservation for the Scheduled Tribes community.
SANGUEM
MLA Govind Gaude has urged the ST community to stop depending on other political parties and unite behind a candidate of its own in the forthcoming Assembly elections.
He said the community should not wait for political reservation but prepare for the possibility that it may not be granted before the upcoming polls or even in the next elections. He called upon the community to work collectively to ensure the victory of its own candidate.
Gaude was speaking at a meeting on ST reservation organised at Ganpati Sabha Mandap in Colony No. 1, Waddem-Curdi, Sanguem.
Gaude alleged that the present political leadership was creating divisions within the community for political gains. He claimed that although the meeting had been finalised eight days earlier, another programme was deliberately organised to create a rift within the community. He further alleged that the community was being misled with false assurances and kept divided to allow others to exploit the situation.
UTAA president Prakash Velip said the time for expectations was over and that the community must unite and launch a determined struggle. He said that while any decision was possible with political will, such a situation no longer prevailed in Goa. He stressed the need for the community to demonstrate its strength.
Adv John Fernandes said the community had earlier sold its votes, allowing others to prosper. He warned that money could again be distributed to poor people at night to influence their votes and urged the community not to compromise its dignity for a mere Rs 500.
Former Sanguem MLA Prasad Gaonkar, UTAA leader Govind Shirodkar, Vishwas Gaude, Suresh Kepekar, Nanu Bandolkar, Santosh Gaonkar, social worker Satyavan Sanvlo Gaonkar and others also expressed their views and appealed for unity.
