Panaji: The United Tribals Associations Alliance (UTAA) Gen Z has warned that it will work to defeat BJP in the upcoming state assembly election if govt fails to implement political reservation for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community before the Feb 2027 polls.Speaking at a function organised by UTAA, Shravani, daughter of Priol MLA Govind Gaude, said the ST community in Goa secured ST status in 2003 only after years of protests and agitations.“I want to tell this govt that it is not playing with any other generation but with Gen Z. Our generation has the capacity to fight in Goa as well as in Delhi. Our grandmothers and grandfathers have agitated and pulled down govts,” she said.Shravani said the tribal community played a major role in bringing BJP to office in Goa in 2012. She warned that if political reservation is not implemented before the 2027 assembly election, the tribal community will not hold back from defeating BJP.She urged govt not to underestimate young people, arguing that a notification alone is not enough. “We don’t want notification; we want implementation,” she said.Shravani alleged that successive state govts have supported other communities, creating “potholes” in the ST community’s path. “We have learnt to jump from these potholes. We will gather at Azad Maidan and govt will see us jumping,” she said.Referring to chief minister Pramod Sawant’s meetings in Delhi, she said, “For the last one year, the CM has gone to Delhi, met home minister Amit Shah, and presented him with bouquets. He says there is a positive response to political reservation. I want to know when this will turn into a positive result.,” adding that Goa remains the only Indian state with no political reservation for the ST community.She also pointed out that while some MLAs belong to the ST community, they have entered the assembly without the benefit of reserved seats. “Everyone knows that if they go against govt, they can be denied a ticket or removed from the cabinet. Hence, we need political reservation so we can represent ourselves,” she said.
