“I personally did not agree with the BJP’s beliefs,” Janu said. “After I joined the NDA, people criticized me and called me a BJP leader. But I stayed in the alliance for the good of my community. When we joined in 2016, the BJP promised many projects for tribal people. In nine years, none of these promises were fulfilled.”
She mentioned that a key demand was for the government to properly use Article 244 of the Constitution, which creates a special administrative system for ‘scheduled’ and ‘tribal areas’.
“We even gave a written request to the Prime Minister, but nothing happened,” she explained. “Later, we asked for housing and work projects for tribal people, but those requests were also ignored.”
Janu added that Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes have been politically neglected for a long time. She joined the NDA hoping to improve her community’s future, but felt her party was always pushed aside.
With input from TNIE
For more details: Navamalayalam.com
