Rajasthan
Cong, BJP same for BAP, they’re our ideological rivals, says Roat | Jaipur News
Sitting MLA from Chorasi and one of the founders of Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP), Rajkumar Roat, is confident of the new party’s prospects in the upcoming assembly polls. The new party was formed because Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) was “hijacked by members of Congress and BJP, who did not fight for the tribals’ rights,” he said in an interview with TOI. Excerpts:
Do you think BAP, which you formed out of BTP, has a chance in the upcoming polls?
Before BTP, we had organisations driven by core ideologies. There are 16 of them, including Yuva Morcha, Mukti Morcha, and Vidhyarthi Morcha. We are now moving ahead in the new party with the core ideology and principles. BTP was created in 2018 based on ideology, and we contested the elections and gained. BTP no longer has the same ideology. It is due to the arbitrariness of BTP’s national president that we parted ways and formed BAP. People from BJP and Congress are currently associated with BTP and hijacked the party for their political interests. Those who believe in our core ideology have joined BAP. Our prospects will not be impacted by BTP’s split.
What promises have you made to the Bhil tribal people?
The promises remain the same, and more have been added. We demand a separate Bhil state for the tribal populace. According to Schedule 5 of the Constitution, reservation policy should be applicable. We will be bringing big schemes under TAD (Tribal Area development) to arrest mass migration to other states due to unemployment.
How many of the promises you made earlier were fulfilled in the past five years?
Although the demand for a Bhil state has been highlighted, significant progress has not been made yet. We have been able to make some progress in fulfilling the demand for drinking and irrigation water. A project worth Rs 886 crore to supply water from the Kadana Dam to Kenji Ghata has been sanctioned. The project will be completed by 2026 and benefit people in three constituencies. There is a stadium already under development in Chorasi, which will be named after Tatiya Bhil.
Will voters not question your credentials as you had supported Congress during the its crisis in 2020?
At that time, we followed the commands of BTP. The BTP high command was not aware of the ground reality. Now I have to do what the people say. I did whatever the people said, and that is the very reason the people are with me. They have given me one more chance and will elect me as an MLA again.
What issues will be your priority if you win?
The focus now will be on education and employment. Quality education facilities need to be created. Basic educational infrastructure is missing here. Teachers’ posts are lying vacant, and subject teachers are not available. Five classes are run in a single classroom. There is unemployment among both educated and uneducated youths. To educate the unemployed, we will work out a special package under TAD. This will create a lot of vacancies. We will provide agricultural equipment to the uneducated unemployed, which will help curb migration. We are also working on keeping alive the tribals’ history and culture.
Do you think your gain will be Congress’s loss and will not impact BJP as much?
For BAP, both Congress and BJP are equal, and they are our ideological rivals. We are not looking at who will gain or lose. We are only looking forward to our own gain. BAP’s tribal connection will sway the poll outcomes.
Do you think BAP, which you formed out of BTP, has a chance in the upcoming polls?
Before BTP, we had organisations driven by core ideologies. There are 16 of them, including Yuva Morcha, Mukti Morcha, and Vidhyarthi Morcha. We are now moving ahead in the new party with the core ideology and principles. BTP was created in 2018 based on ideology, and we contested the elections and gained. BTP no longer has the same ideology. It is due to the arbitrariness of BTP’s national president that we parted ways and formed BAP. People from BJP and Congress are currently associated with BTP and hijacked the party for their political interests. Those who believe in our core ideology have joined BAP. Our prospects will not be impacted by BTP’s split.
What promises have you made to the Bhil tribal people?
The promises remain the same, and more have been added. We demand a separate Bhil state for the tribal populace. According to Schedule 5 of the Constitution, reservation policy should be applicable. We will be bringing big schemes under TAD (Tribal Area development) to arrest mass migration to other states due to unemployment.
How many of the promises you made earlier were fulfilled in the past five years?
Although the demand for a Bhil state has been highlighted, significant progress has not been made yet. We have been able to make some progress in fulfilling the demand for drinking and irrigation water. A project worth Rs 886 crore to supply water from the Kadana Dam to Kenji Ghata has been sanctioned. The project will be completed by 2026 and benefit people in three constituencies. There is a stadium already under development in Chorasi, which will be named after Tatiya Bhil.
Will voters not question your credentials as you had supported Congress during the its crisis in 2020?
At that time, we followed the commands of BTP. The BTP high command was not aware of the ground reality. Now I have to do what the people say. I did whatever the people said, and that is the very reason the people are with me. They have given me one more chance and will elect me as an MLA again.
What issues will be your priority if you win?
The focus now will be on education and employment. Quality education facilities need to be created. Basic educational infrastructure is missing here. Teachers’ posts are lying vacant, and subject teachers are not available. Five classes are run in a single classroom. There is unemployment among both educated and uneducated youths. To educate the unemployed, we will work out a special package under TAD. This will create a lot of vacancies. We will provide agricultural equipment to the uneducated unemployed, which will help curb migration. We are also working on keeping alive the tribals’ history and culture.
Do you think your gain will be Congress’s loss and will not impact BJP as much?
For BAP, both Congress and BJP are equal, and they are our ideological rivals. We are not looking at who will gain or lose. We are only looking forward to our own gain. BAP’s tribal connection will sway the poll outcomes.
