Why is this government so insensitive to UTAA and the Balli call for rights?

Police vehicles torched to fire and the cops on a rampage. A bruised Prakash S Velip (senior) returning home with his UTAA activists and later in the evening being told that his men were burnt alive in his own cooperative society that employed tribal men in the coconut and cashew business.

But Prakash S Velip (senior) decided to come out of a political sojourn and return to politics and contested as a independent rebel when Prakash A Velip (Junior) contested on an MGP ticket from Quepem, (as part of the BJP MGP alliance) hoping to not just overthrow Babu Kavlekar who cared more for land grab in industrial estates but less for his tribal folklore. Velip (Senior) lost an election but even more he felt bitter that the BJP ignored him for many years and kept him and the tribals in the dark. He spoke openly against them, condemned his party, regretted joining them but now now he is back with the BJP.

“Almost three out of four years nothing moved in this government. Schemed were rolled, budgets were allocated but they were not reaching the tribals. The Forest Rights Act is still not implemented, the study and survey is pending, and tribal living on forest land has still not been recognized to take their views when land is usurped for mining. I am dismayed by this attitude,” explained Prakash S Velip (Senior) who rejoined the party as Senior vice President.

Asked why he rejoined the BJP if has let tribals down, Velip (senior) remarked, “I need a national party to carry the voice of the Velip’s and hence the various tribal leaders have made me take this decisions to join the BJP.”

Prakash Velip explains how he has spent every day since the year 2012 when the BJP government came to power from pillar to post from Tribal Minister Tawadkar’s office to CM Parsekar’s office to Union Minister for Tribal Welfare’s office to the office of South Goa MP Narendra Sawaiker in Delhi, to get schemes implemented, to ensure the forest rights act is implemented, to get reservation in the Goa Legislative Assembly notified, to ensure that ST are easily given community certificates, to push for all 26 departments across agriculture, fisheries, education, PWD, irrigation department, communidade, forest department and all other departments to implement and help tribal benefit from tribal welfare schemes, since all funds allocated are going back unutilized.

“I can say one year and so, I see some movement, I am seeing the fruit of tribal schemes and tribal benefiting but my problem is that tribals have moved from their rural habitats to towns and cities for opportunities. Now rural spots and villages are benefitting but government servants and representatives need to see that tribal in urbans areas also benefit,” stated Prakash Velip (Senior).

Similarly Junior Prakash Velip (Junior) tells us how he has held meetings and deliberations with many ST councilors across Ponda, Margao, Vasco, Cuncolim, Canacona and Sanvordem constituency, urging the councilors to come forward with applications and help tribal especially in ST reserved wards, but sadly they have no interest.

Former law commissioner, and South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar who has been on both sides of the tribal agitation and was guilty of inciting the UTAA leaders in May 2011 and later got a clean chit from the court on his involvement had much to say and add, “My government at the state and center is doing all it can to meet the demands of the tribal leaders but it’s difficult.

“Reservation for ST in the Legislative Polls, recognizing certain communities as ST, ensuring more staff at the Tribal Welfare Department and taking the schemes and benefits to the people is our agenda. We have met all the stakeholders from the Prakash Velip’s to the locals and are working on providing a solution, hopefully will get there before the tenure of my government ends,” stated an optimist Narendra Sawaikar.

Like Prakash Velip, Vasudev Meng Gaonkar and others, the tribal cling to hope that they will be treated better and given their due to assist them to rise and flourish in society but currently the situation looks bleak. The tribals are not empowered and are still scavenging for food, rearing small animals, keeping fingers crossed that their mud homes will be fixed, that their patch of land will be transferred to their names, awaiting walk-ins into professional government colleges but all this is a struggle of knocking on many doors and acquiring many signatures to get a scheme sanctions. Sadly former speaker and Tribal Commision member Vishwas Satarker and Quepem MLA Babu Kavlekar stayed away from discussing the plight of tribals with the Herald.