BJP in Guj treats tribals as Hindu vote bank: Congress

The Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Bharatsinh Solanki today accused the BJP of using tribals in the state as the "Hindu" vote bank for the sake of capturing power.

"The BJP treats tribals as Hindus for seeking votes during elections and ignores them after coming to power. The BJP is adopting a divisive agenda towards tribals," he said while addressing a 'Aadivasi Adhikar' yatra at Bodeli town in Chhotaudepur district.

Solanki also demanded allocation of Narmada water from canals of the Sardar Sarovar dam across the river to tribals in Chhotaudepur and Bodeli region.

"The BJP government in the state has neglected providing good quality education to the tribal youth and children to make them stand on their own feet," he said while appealing to the tribals to bring the Congress to power.

The Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Shankersinh Vaghela said the Congress is the only party that can protect the interests of the tribal community in the state.

"Development in the tribal-dominated areas is completely neglected during the 22-year rule of the BJP in Gujarat," he alleged.

He said the BJP government had not properly implemented the Forest Rights Act 2006.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)