Hindustan Times (Patiala)

BJP looks to win over Cong’s tribal vote base

Ruling party eyes community votes to offset likely losses among OBCs, Patidars

- Smriti Kak Ramachandr­an letters@hindustant­imes.com

Barely a kilometer off the main road at Ahwa, the headquarte­rs of the tribal-dominated Dang district of Gujarat, is a sprawling ash ram with facilities for healthcare and education that far out strip 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 tri ba ls, including the B hi ls, Koka ni sand 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 off set 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 B JP 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 B JP 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 village rs have been given houses under the Ind ira A was Yojna and toilets after the Swachh Bharat mission was announced, villagers complain of water shortage. When ground water levels fall after theagricul­ture is no longer an option and the village rs 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 ad joining Mulch o nd, water scarcity, poorly run health centres and the lack of avenues for earning are a major grouse.

Village rs here say they though they have been voting for the Congress, they do not fore see 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 a venues 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?

Rome lSutariya of the Adivasi KisanSang harsh M or ch a 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 B JP does not care and theC ongress, 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’ Am ar sinh Ch aud ha ry 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 Pa tel( Pat id ar 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.

 ?? HT ?? A residentia­l facility for tribal students set up by RSSaffilia­te Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram; (right) One of the toilets built by the government for tribal households in Gujarat’s Dang. Both the steps are seen as part of BJP’s persistent efforts to expand...
HT A residentia­l facility for tribal students set up by RSSaffilia­te Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram; (right) One of the toilets built by the government for tribal households in Gujarat’s Dang. Both the steps are seen as part of BJP’s persistent efforts to expand...
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