Tribals in Goa feel they are used just as 'vote bank'

The Scheduled Tribe (ST) community in Goa, mostly living in Sanguem and Canacona talukas in South Goa, feels that they are just being used as a "vote bank" during every state assembly election, although their demands, including basic amenities in their villages, have remained "unfulfilled" so far.
Tribals comprise around 12 per cent of Goa's total population. The community mostly depends of agriculture for livelihood.
Members of the community allege that their standard of living has hardly improved despite 55 years of liberation from the Portuguese rule.
"Nothing has changed in our lives. During elections, we see politicians walking in our villages asking for votes. But post-election, entire Scheduled Tribe affair gets shifted to capital city of Panaji, deserting us. We are just used as a vote bank," said Vikas Guno Velip, a tribal youth from Barshem village of Canacona.

Barshem village, which has over 90 per cent tribal population, faces scarcity of water during the summer.
"There is no piped water available in the village. This is the case with many villages in South Goa, where tribals live. Basic amenities is a dream for them," he said.

The tribals, who held a massive agitation under the banner of United Tribal Associations Alliance (UTAA) in 2011, pressing for their demands, saw one of their leaders being elected during the 2012 assembly election on BJP ticket.
Ramesh Tawadkar, a prominent UTAA leader, was elected from Canacona constituency during 2012 polls and was inducted as Tribal Welfare Minister in the Manohar Parrikar cabinet and continued as the minister under the Laxmikant Parsekar as the Chief Minister.

However, Tawadkar resigned from the cabinet recently as BJP has denied a ticket to him despite being a sitting MLA. He now plans to fight the upcoming state elections as an independent from Canacona constituency.
Prakash Arjun Velip, a social activist and UTAA leader, said, "The tribals have been used as a vote bank. Their demands like filling of reserved government vacancies, amendments to Forest Rights Act, political reservation in Assembly election and basic amenities in their villages and others are left unfulfilled. This is despite the fact that our (tribal) own leader Tawadkar was a minister."
Velip said tribal rallied behind the BJP in the 2012

Goa assembly polls and 2014 Lok Sabha election with the hope that their demands would be fulfilled.
"There was a hope that BJP will fulfil their demands, but it did not happen," he said.
Former Minister Ramesh Tawadkar said he tried to meet many of the demands. "I agree that the demand of political reservation is pending. But we did fulfil many demands of the ST community," he said.
According to him, the mandatory 12 per cent budget reservation for tribals could not be achieved due to the lack of "proper schemes".
"To implement 12 per cent mandatory budget reservation for ST community in each department, we need the proper schemes. You can't design and implement the schemes overnight," Tawadkar said.

He claimed that 25 different schemes were formed and implemented during his tenure.