Angry tribals may upset BJP’s game plan in south Gujarat

Credit: DH Graphic

With the date of the first phase of polling on December 1 approaching, the BJP has intensified its campaign led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the tribal belt of south Gujarat, a Congress bastion.

Apart from the traditional rivalry between the ruling BJP and Congress, the region is abuzz with the entry of the Aam Aadmi Party, which is threatening both the parties, primarily the grand old party, due to its uninspiring campaign.

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While the BJP continues to struggle to replace Congress as a dominant force in the tribal belt, which has 27 reserved seats, two recent-past events are said to cost the ruling party heavily this time, that includes the Par-Tapi-Narmada river-linking project and Vedanta’s zinc smelter plant at Doswada village, against which the locals have staged series of protests.

Sitting Congress MLA from Vansda in Navsari district, Anant Patel, emerged as a “local hero” for leading the agitations that forced the government to cancel the project. The 45-year-old Patel, a former teacher, is one of the emerging Congress leaders in the state.

However, the projects are said to be costing BJP dearly in building confidence back. Right from southernmost Dangs, one of the most backward districts, to Vyara, about 60 km from Surat, the BJP fortress, the tribals were found to be angry with the ruling party. They were fearful that the river-linking project would displace lakhs of them.

“The river-linking project will impact the polls for sure. The project is threatening to displace hundreds of villages. It will not only take away the land of the tribals but also the lives we have built around the land, such as the mango trees which were planted and levelling the land (for agriculture),” said Chandarbhai Powar, a tribal in Waghai in Dangs district.

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He refused to believe that the government would not go ahead in the future. “They have all the power,” he added.

Hari Om Gamit (28) of Dosvada village in Songadh taluka was very clear about his vote. “Our main issue this time is Vedanta which is going to set up a chemical factory. It will damage not only our land, rivers and the environment but also the future of the next generation. I have two kids, and I don’t want such a factory in my locality.” He added, “I am going to vote for AAP as BJP is going to destroy our land. They are building dams and highways for which lands of Adivasis are going to be acquired.”

Political observers said that BJP had sensed the discontent among the tribals, and that’s the reason the party has been focusing on public outreach programmes for the past several months. Their campaign has been led by Modi, who, while addressing a rally recently, claimed, “A means Adivasi” for him. “This is my fortune that I am starting my first election campaign with the blessings of Adivasi brothers and sisters....”

The tribal belt stretches from Ambaji in the north to Umergam in the Valsad district, which has 27 reserved seats. In 2017, Congress won 15 of them while BJP was restricted to eight. Bharatiya Tribal Party bagged two while one seat went to an Independent candidate. The BJP has been focusing on the belt with development schemes such as tap water for every household and other welfare schemes along with the Hindutva card.

The Congress, despite its weak campaign, is expected to retain its hold against the BJP. However, what can upset the party is the rise of AAP in the region. Although the party is struggling to attract voters due to a lack of leadership at the local level, the Kejriwal-led party has been able to make inroads into remote villages. Since many of its candidates are ex-Congressmen, the party may upset the Congress on a few seats, giving an advantage to BJP.