Daijiworld Media Network – Panaji

Panaji, Jul 7: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday signalled a strong push into Goa’s Scheduled Tribes (ST) belt, aiming to consolidate tribal support ahead of the upcoming Zilla Panchayat and 2027 Assembly elections.

At a programme held in the city, AAP chief Amit Palekar, along with MLAs Venzy Viegas (Benaulim) and Cruz Silva (Velim), welcomed tribal leader Vinay Velip and members of the Aadi Brigade into the party fold. The move comes after over a year of discussions, AAP leaders said.

Speaking on the occasion, Palekar reiterated AAP’s commitment to the tribal cause. “Issues like Forest Rights Act implementation and pending cases before the ST Commission remain unresolved. AAP will stand firmly with the ST community in their fight for justice,” he declared.

Both Viegas and Silva promised to raise pressing issues of the ST community, including the long-standing demand for political reservation, during the upcoming Assembly session.

“We are being denied what is rightfully ours. The delay in providing political reservations is deliberate and meant to push it past the 2027 Assembly and even the Lok Sabha elections,” said Viegas. He also assured the construction of an Adivasi Bhavan once AAP forms the government.

Cruz Silva added that beyond political reservation, other core issues affecting tribals will be brought to the Assembly floor.

Vinay Velip, now with AAP, criticised the government for trying to dismantle tribal movements like the Aadi Brigade and UTAA. “Even Minister Govind Gaude was removed from the cabinet. We need a party that understands grassroots struggles, and AAP has proven that,” he said.

AAP’s growing presence in tribal areas comes at a time when several ST organisations have expressed dissatisfaction with the current government's response to their demands.