Amit Shah reaches out to tribals in Gujarat

NEW DELHI: In Gujarat, where the BJP has been in power for over two decades, 14.75% of budget is spent on development of tribals, BJP president Amit Shah said on Friday. In an attempt to reach out to tribals, he said in a blog post that it was entirely due to the efforts of BJP governments that Gujarat’s tribal areas are not behind other regions in any criterion of development.

Shah’s post is significant considering the BJP is working hard to woo the tribal community in the elections coming up in December.

Tribals constitute 15% of the State’s population and are an influential social group at more than 35 Assembly segments, including 27 Scheduled Tribes (ST) reserved seats.


Earlier this year, Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani and state BJP president Jitu Vaghani had led a 1,500-kilometre long Adivasi Vikas Gaurav Yatra. Leaders like Purushottam Rupala, Jaswantsinh Bhabhor and Mansukh Mandaviya, among others, were a part of the march.

The state government has decided to set up ‘Eklavya Tribal University’, near the Statue of Unity project site at Kevadiya Colony in Narmada district. In his Friday post, he said over Rs 9,100 cr has been deposited in District Mineral Foundation constituted for this purpose, adding the money will be spent on local area development.

Unequal policies of earlier governments have caused tribals to lag behind in development and that tribals can attain true freedom and empowerment only under the Modi government, he said.

“Tribals, like the rest of the country, got self-rule in 1947 when the British left, but the time has come for them to attain self-rule in the true sense and the BJP and the Modi government are fully committed in this direction,” he said.

In this context, Shah mentioned his recent three-day stay in Jharkhand, where he visited the village of tribal legend and freedom fighter Birsa Munda. The BJP government in the state has prepared a programme for all-round development of village of martyrs, he said. It is paying tributes to them with its work and not just flowers, he said.