Contrasting tales of Vadi community
sanjay ghamande
Link
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Contrasting-tales-of-Vadi-community/283315/
Contrasting tales of Vadi community
Rajkot, March 11 The attitude towards Chief Minister Narendra Modi differs radically among members of the Vadi community in Wankaner and Rajkot. In Bhojpara on the outskirts of Wankaner, the community members hold the CM in high esteem, while only 100 km away, at Parevada village on the outskirts of Rajkot, members of the community are unhappy with the CM. Apart from these varying attitudes, the community members in the region have another difference, while almost all members of the Vadi community in Bhojpara have election cards, it does not hold true for a majority of their community members in Rajkot.
Shambhunath Babunath, a Vadi community leader in Rajkot said, “At Wankaner, Modi may be worshipped as a deity for the benefits he brought to the community. But the benefits were limited to that particular region. Inspite of a nine-year-old struggle, we have not succeeded in getting a piece of land where we can settle down.†The community members blame their apathy on their exclusion from the electoral rolls.
Recently, nearly 90 Vadi families were asked to vacant the land where they were staying at Parevada village. “We have written many letters to Modi on this issue, but have not received any response yet. On Monday, more than 100 community members had gone to Gandhinagar, but the Chief Minister did not meet them,'' said Babunath. The Rajkot District Collectorate had served the eviction notice stating that the land belongs to the Revenue department.
On Wednesday, the Vadis plan to take out a protest rally in Rajkot.
However, certain members of the Vadi community, especially those residing at Wankaner are unhappy with the offensive stance taken by the community leaders. But some like Shambhunath Bambaniya, the community president who resides at Wankaner, agrees that election cards do play a major role in getting a community on the growth trajectory. He says, “There are nearly 200 families settled at Wankaner. We are registered voters and have been actively participating in the polls. We would try to all our community members.â€
Bambaniya also manages a small temple, comprising some photos of the CM. Modi achieved cult status in the region after the state government provided the community with housing, electricity and water facilities and helped the nomadic tribe settle down on the outskirts of Bhojpara village.
However, the situation is very different in Rajkot. The Vadis in this region claim that they have been shifting from one temporary shelter to another, over the last two years. “They have also received a notice to shift from Parevada,†said their lawyer, Jayant Padya. The community members said the current site is situated nearly 10 km from the nearest water source. They added that electricity facilities and accessibility issues would remain a major roadblock even at the new site.
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