I am not afraid of anything, says Hardik Patel at rally
INROADS Ruling party eyes community votes to offset likely losses among OBCs, Patidars
Addressing a large crowd in a rally for which the administration had withdrawn permission, an angry but confident Hardik Patel said he was not afraid of anything. “You sent me to jail. You also make my fake CD. Do whatever you can, but I am not afraid of anything,” he said at Mansa near Gandhinagar. He was referring to six of his purported sex video clips that went viral this week.
DANG: Barely a kilometer off the main road at Ahwa, the headquarters of the tribal-dominated Dang district of Gujarat, is a sprawling ashram with facilities for healthcare and education that far outstrip anything available in one of India’s poorest regions.
At the ashram is a residential facility for 50 tribal students, who pay a nominal fee of Rs 1,000 a year for lodging; local villagers are trained in farm techniques and animal rearing; and there are self-help groups for women and nutritional programmes for expecting mothers.
The campus that came up in 2006 is run by the Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram (VKA), an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and it represents the BJP’s persistent efforts to expand its footprint in a Congress bastion using a network of organisations and affiliates.
Dang is home to 200,000 tribals, including the Bhils, Kokanis and Warlis, and has traditionally voted for the Congress but many voters there say they are dissatisfied with the party.
The BJP is eyeing tribal communities, which comprise around 15% of the state’s population and can influence the outcome of 35-odd seats in a 182member assembly, to offset possible losses among the other backward classes (OBC) and the disgruntled Patidars.
Pre-poll surveys, such as one by Lokniti at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), show a shift in the tribal vote from the Congress to the BJP on account of popular schemes such as Ujjwala (free LPG cylinders to poor families). But some academics disagree.
Dr JC Patel, head of the Sociology department in Gujarat University says tribal communities feel “exploited” by both mainstream parties. “Many tribal groups are upset with the BJP for giving ST certificates to pastoral communities in Gir forest. The groups have indicated that they support the party that will fulfill their demands including the proper implementation of the fifth schedule,” he said. The fifth schedule of the Constitution allows for federal administration and control of scheduled areas and scheduled tribes in states except the Northeastern region.
In Dang’s Borkhet where most villagers have been given houses under the Indira Awas Yojna and toilets after the Swachh Bharat mission was announced, villagers complain of water shortage. When ground water levels fall after the rainy season, agriculture is no longer an option and the villagers shift to poorly-paid contractual jobs.
Election fever is yet to pick up here, though some sections seem content to pick Narendra Modi (BJP). They take pride in the fact that the son-of- the-soil is the country’s Prime Minister. In the adjoining Mulchond, water scarcity, poorly run health centres and the lack of avenues for earning are a major grouse.
Villagers here say they though they have been voting for the Congress, they do not foresee the any changes in their fortunes if the BJP is voted to power. “They are all the same,” says Devram Bhai, a farmer.
Tribal rights activists say both major parties are equally guilty of neglecting the community.
“The promise to provide forest land for cultivation remains on paper, reservation for tribes is not properly implemented and there are no avenues for employment.
Tribals are not an issue in this election where for the first time voting is likely to be on caste lines,” says SH Iyer, convenor of the civil rights group Jan Sangharsh Manch.
Which way will the tribal vote then swing? Will it stay with the Congress or opt for the BJP?
Romel Sutariya of the Adivasi Kisan Sangharsh Morcha says it could be either way; but is quick to add that tribal rights groups are collectively demanding their rights and a face from within.
“Many tribal groups feel they need a leader from among themselves. The BJP does not care and the Congress, which should have played the role of the Opposition in highlighting the problems, has failed too,” he said.
The need for an alternative is also accentuated by the fact that tribal communities have had to rely on others to be their voice. Congress’ Amarsinh Chaudhary who was chief minister from 1985-89 is perceived as the last tribal leader of reckoning in the state, though his son Tushar too rose to the position of a union minister of state.
The triumvirate of Jignesh Mevani (Dalit leader), Alpesh Thakor (OBC leader) and Hardik Patel (Patidar leader) does not cut ice with a large section of tribal communities. The clout of leaders such as JD(U)’s Chottubhai Vasava is limited too.
Problems in the implementation of the forest rights act are a big issue among these communities. In the Tapi region, tribal groups are also up in the arms against illegal sand mining and stone crushing.