Video Editor: Varun Sharma
Cameraperson: Aishwarya S Iyer
Jo Mewar jeetega vo Rajasthan jeetega (Whoever wins Mewar wins the Rajasthan election). It means that the party Mewar votes for will go on to form the government Rajasthan.
The Scheduled Tribes constitute 70% of the population in Rajasthan’s Mewar. Add to that, 20 of the 28 seats in the Mewar area, and another 9 from the Wagad area of south Rajasthan (Banswara and Dungarpur) are reserved for the STs. With these figures, it would be easy to assume that the community’s concerns will be significant in the run up to the Assembly elections. But, we’re wrong.
No safe drinking water.
No electricity.
No roads.
No employment.
The Quint’s ground report from Dungarpur exposes the government’s disinterest and apathy towards the STs. Many tribal people said that from 1963 to 2013, they waited to get rights to the lands they have been cultivating for generations. Five years later, hundreds, including Manohar Lal, Gayatri and Amri Devi Damor, are still waiting.
Manohar Lal looks to his hands and says, “Not only us, but even my father and grandparents fought for the land until they died... Without these rights, we live in constant fear that the land could be taken away from us any time.”
Gayatri, too, says that if the tribals don’t have rights over their land, then they can’t complain to anyone. “We want the rights, so going ahead we can fight for our land,” she says.
Why Are Land Rights Essential for Tribals?
Madhulika Verma, a tribal rights activist who has done extensive work in the region, explains why these rights are essential.
She says that although 1,800 families got allotments to a part of the land that they had been cultivating, there were still 800-900 families waiting for their rights.
“Without allotment, they do not have a legal record of their possession and they cannot avail any government benefits such as digging wells or getting loans. A lot of these villages are close to the municipal limits of Dungarpur. So there is always a risk of being absorbed into the town and not getting any compensation for the land that they are going to lose,” Madhulika says.
‘High Fluoride Level’ in Water Keeps Tribals From Working
Apart from land rights and the lack of job opportunities, the high levels of fluoride in water across the region has incapacitated residents from working. Tribals say that both men and women lose their teeth and become physically weak, forcing them to stay at home.
Babulal, 32, says that he has consumed this toxic water since he was a child. “When I go out, I cannot work. I feel so weak that wherever I go, I cannot work... so how will I bring money home,” he questions.
About 100 metres from there, Amrat Devi, whose left foot moves inwards, says. “If I have got this (ailment), then even my son can get it.” The family has some land a few kilometres away but Amrat has never been there, she says she can’t walk till there, as her son helps her go home.
Govt RO Water Filters Exist But They Don’t Work
The tribals say that the government had installed RO filters in each village over concerns about the fluoride levels in water. But they don’t go there to collect drinking water because the filters are a few kilometres away and the tubewells, which pump out normal water, are closer.
This response may be upsetting but a visit to the closest RO filter shows the government’s apathy.
While the filter reads ‘Fluoride-mukt peene ka paani’ (Fluoride-free drinking water), there is no water in either of the taps. A woman carrying water in a steel pot on her head walks by, and she says that the supply of water has been cut since before Diwali in early November.
Which Party Will Mewar’s STs Vote For?
“We vote for both the parties but neither of them benefit us. They come and promise us a lot of things, like 'we will make you a well' and other things. But we do not have land rights, so they say, ‘You do not have the rights to the land, that's why you will not get a well.’ Then what do we do,” asks Shiva, a farmer.
When asked about his preference, Babulal, who is not able to work because of his health, says: “This time, I don't know. When we vote, they say they will do this and that, but they take our votes and don't even look at us.”
Most of them were not aware about the new tribal party that is contesting in the region for the first time; not the the candidate, and neither the party’s poll promises.
With no real alternative, the tribal vote in Mewar is waiting to tapped while their voices are still waiting to be heard.
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