Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani on Tuesday, 10 May, accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of filing "false cases" against dissenters from the "oppressed communities" and said the party has to soon withdraw the same.
Speaking at Congress's Adivasi Satyagraha in Dahod, he also said that the saffron party aims to eradicate the identity of tribals through its schemes. BJP, meanwhile, has claimed that it is set to offer rights to 'vanvasis' by implementing certain laws.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is also scheduled to address the tribals here.
'BJP Leaders Indulged in Corruption in MNREGA'
Stating that the BJP does not want to implement any legislations for Adivasi rights, Mevani said, "They refuse to identify Adivasis by their actual identity and call them Vanbandhu and Vanvasi but the actual true identity of the tribals is that of Adivasis. The young Adivasi generation should challenge this fact and reclaim their identity," reported The Indian Express.
"If BJP finds any youngster from the OBC Dalit or Adivasi community who challenges them, then he or she is booked under false cases like they did to me," he said, referring to the case which was filed against him recently for allegedly assaulting a woman police officer. "They did the same in Kevadia in the name of development," he said.
He further demanded that the BJP take back these cases. The saffron party, he said, was intending to displace as many as 50,000 families by building dams. The Congress, however, will stand with the Adivasis and their rights, he said.
Speaking at the event, he also alleged that in Gujarat's tribal districts, the BJP recruited people under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) through scams.
"Tribals of Dahod have to travel over 200 km to find work… The Congress brought MGNREGA but, forget implementing it, the BJP leaders are indulging in corruption in MNREGA. But the Congress will restore the rights of the tribals,” he said, as per The Indian Express.
Background
Recently, Jignesh Mevani was sentenced to three months in jail in connection with a rally held in Mehsana in 2017. He has been convicted on the charge of unlawful assembly.
Mevani was recently released on bail after being arrested by the Assam police over his alleged remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mevani and the Congress, which supported his candidature from Vadgam in the 2017 Assembly elections, have both alleged that he is being hounded by the BJP and that the ruling party sees him as a political threat.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)