Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Gujarat late on Wednesday night to take part in programmes organised at the Statue of Unity in Kevadia on Thursday, on the occasion of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's birth anniversary, tribals in the region have given a bandh call.
Praful Vasava, a tribal activist, told THE WEEK before he was detained on Wednesday, that the tribal people are protesting against the way their rights have been ignored when the government is developing the area. He claimed that jobs have not been given to tribals, as promised, and their livelihood has also been snatched away.
Modi will leave from Gandhinagar for Kevadia early morning on Thursday and will take part in the Unity Parade. He will also address a public meeting besides meeting IAS probationary officers and going through the presentations made by them on various themes.
October 31, 2019 also marks one year of the Statue of Unity—the tallest statue in the world. Besides the statue, several attractions like the Valley of Flowers, river rafting, animal safari, zip line, butterfly park, cactus garden and much more have been opened in the area. A tent city is in place and Shrest Bharat Bhavan, a hotel, is also to come up.
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Vasava claimed that tribals are not able to even let their cattle graze in the villages, near the Statue of Unity.
He said as a mark of protest against the government's plans to celebrate October 31 as National Unity Day, the tribals will observe the day as National Disaster Day. The bandh call has been given by locals in the tribal belt from Ambaji to Umargaon.
It is all about the identity and rights of the tribals, Vasava said, adding that if the government does not listen to them, they would unite tribals from across the country in future to raise their voice.
The tribal activist alleged that the government has not given enough compensation to the farmers while taking away their pieces of land. The government, however, had in the past categorically said that adequate compensation had been given at different times.
In the past, whenever the prime minister came to Kevadia, a few local villagers would be detained as a precautionary measure and released after he leaft the place.