Thaindian News

Panaji, May 27 (IANS) Senior Goa Congress leaders Friday attacked the party leadership and Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, claiming both were “insensitive to tribal issues” and were dragging their feet on probing the murder of two tribal activists, who were burnt to death by unidentified miscreants during a protest rally on Wednesday.

Dissenting Congress leaders addressed a joint press conference in Panaji to denounce the party and accused its leadership of “criminal neglect” of tribal issues, which had simmered over the last three years.

Goa Congress general secretary Vishnu Wagh said at a joint press conference Friday that the Kamat government was dragging its feet in ordering the government machinery to track down the murderers of Mangesh Gaonkar (26) and Dilip Velip (27). Wagh also said that Goa Congress chief Subhash Shirodkar was stonewalling requests for convening an emergency meeting to discuss the murder of the tribals.

“This government is supporting the killers of Dilip and Mangesh. Over the last three years, tribal organisations have exhausted every democratic avenue to press for their rights, but the Kamat-led government is criminally insensitive to their demands,” said Wagh, who is an advisor to the state information and publicity department on media-related matters.

Former union minister of state for law and chairman of the Goa Law Commission Ramakant Khalap told reporters that the Congress-led coalition government had not taken any concrete steps to ensure that the 12 percent tribal population in Goa got their due.

“It is time the Goa government looked at the problems faced by the tribals. The deaths should serve as a wake up call to us,” said Khalap, who is a state Congress committee member.

Kanta Gawde, a senior Congressman and a veteran tribal leader, said that efforts by the United Tribals Association Alliance (UTAA), to get their demands, which include setting up of a Scheduled Tribes Commission and 12 percent reservation in government jobs, had fallen on deaf ears.

“We had repeatedly petitioned Shirodkar and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, but the Congress is deaf when it comes to tribal issues. I hope the deaths of Mangesh and Dilip wake them up,” Gawde said.

Mangesh and Dilip were charred to death by unidentified assailants during the fag end of a rally by tribals demanding their rights on Wednesday. Tribal leaders claim that unknown miscreants along with the police assaulted the peacefully protesting tribals and that the deceased duo was murdered first and then burnt alive by the mob, with the tacit understanding of the police.