ST leaders and workers raise their hands in support of the resolution. Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
Accusing the BJP government of constantly betraying the Scheduled Tribes on the issue of political reservations, the United Tribal Association Alliance (UTAA) on Thursday resolved to work against the government by highlighting the betrayal in every tribal village and ward across Goa.
UTAA has called upon ST leaders to reach out to people in the 750 ST-inhabited wards across Goa and explain how injustice has been meted out to the ST population over the last 23 years. “We have resolved to go to the people’s court,” thundered UTAA chief Prakash Velip at a media briefing following the convention.
At a convention held at Davorlim on Saturday, participants raised their hands in support of the resolutions, warning the government not to take the Scheduled Tribes for granted.
The convention further resolved that the government should address the impediments to Assembly reservations arising from the recent High Court order at the earliest and grant tribals their constitutional right to political reservation in the 2027 Goa Assembly elections.
The convention also adopted a resolution appealing to ST Morcha leaders and volunteers of political parties not to issue statements or work against the ST movement at the behest of their party bosses. It reminded them that the role of ST Morchas in political parties is to protect the interests of the ST community.
Asserting that the Goa government was trying to fool the ST people and take them for granted on the issue of political reservations, Velip sent out a clear message that the Scheduled Tribes would not tolerate any attempt to belittle the community.
When the media asked why MLAs belonging to the ST community had not attended the convention, Velip shot back, saying that three ST MLAs had given UTAA the go-ahead, promising that they would fully support the demand for political reservations.
In fact, Velip urged all 40 MLAs, including those belonging to the ST community, to make their stand clear on whether they supported the demand for political reservations. “We want to make it clear that we are not fighting this battle for our selfish interests, but for the community,” he said.
Asked whether political reservations could become a reality with just four months to go before the Assembly elections, Velip said, “Of course, political reservations can be implemented in 2027 if the government has the will to implement the law. This requires the government's will. There is a double-engine government in place. If one engine fails, the Central government should step in and deliver justice.”
Velip demanded that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant fulfil his commitment to the ST population to resolve the ST reservation issue by December 10. “UTAA has decided to go to the doorsteps of the ST people and highlight the injustice done by the government,” he warned.
Adv. John Fernandes accused the government of trying to fool the Scheduled Tribes, saying that the process of implementing political reservations could be completed within a month, as only the paperwork remained to be done. “If the government had the will, it would have defended our case and filed an affidavit on the ST population census,” he said. He added, “This government is not serious about implementing political reservations. The government has used the ST population since the 2012 elections as part of its use-and-throw policy.” Warning the government not to test the patience of the tribal communities, Fernandes urged it to challenge the High Court order without wasting any more time and deliver justice to the ST communities.
