Tribals-dominated villages in Panchmahal district barely have any access to drinking water. Electricity and housing also lag far behind other districts.
Panchmahal district, Gujarat: Away from the ‘vikas’ face of Gujarat – symbolised by good roads, 24-hour power supply, and convenient availability of drinking water even in rural areas, lies a less glamorous face.
As the Gujarat election campaign reaches fever pitch, and the BJP and the Congress vie for a share of the tribal vote pie, the tribal-dominated villages of Panchmahal still wait for basic amenities like drinking water, uninterrupted electricity, and housing for all, promised by the central government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
As per the 2011 Census, tribals comprise 30.2 per cent of the population of Panchmahal district. The district used to have seven seats until 2012, of which the BJP won four and the Congress three. However, after the Mahisagar district was formed in 2013, it took away two of the seats.
Still supporting Modi
In Dudhwa village, Sanabhai Rathawa, a farmer, is just finishing a meal. He says they don’t get water in the village, and have dug wells for themselves. However, he would still like to support the BJP and “see Modi come to power”. Dudhwa falls under the Kalol assembly constituency, which is represented by the BJP’s Arvindsinh Rathod.
“We get no water, so we have dug wells. It is tough. We don’t even have good roads inside the village. The government has built toilets in some houses, not all. But we get power regularly,” he says.
Rathawa says elections come and go, but the situation in his village has nothing to do with polls. “I back Modi. He is at the Centre too, so that will help us. We haven’t benefitted much, but we vote in Modi’s name,” he says.
In the same village, Lakhibhai Nayaka of the same village also complains about the problem of water. “We have always voted for the BJP, and will still do. But we lack some basic facilities like water supply. It is a big problem,” he says.
Rathawa and Nayaka are among the few people in their village who are willing to talk about the elections. The rest merely point towards the drinking water shortage and some uneven roads, but refrain from talking freely about the polls.
In Panchpathra village, Rudrabhai Rathawa sits on a cot outside his thatched-roof hut with his wife and daughter-in-law. Next to this hut, however, is an under-construction pucca house. Rudrabhai says he has been allotted this under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), and the government has sanctioned Rs 1.3 lakh for it.
“The house is now being constructed, so we will soon have a pucca house. We don’t get water, we fill it up from nearby houses that have handpumps. But a water pipeline has been installed, and we will very soon start getting water from the Narmada river here. We currently don’t even have proper electricity, but the transmission line is being put. We like Modiji’s work, so we back the BJP,” he says.
Narsingh Rathawa, also a farmer, agrees with Rudrabhai, emphasising that drinking water is a big concern. But he likes the BJP, since “it is helping them construct houses”.
There is a narrow, winding, and rough stretch of road that leads to the homes of the tribal community in Panchpathra. An even narrower road leads up to the house of the village sarpanch, who is also from the community.
“Around 80 per cent of this village is comprised of tribals. Yes, water has been a big issue here, but now work is on to bring water from the Narmada here,” says the sarpanch, Veenubhai Rathawa.
“Houses are being built, the situation is improving. The entire tribal community in the Halol and Kalol constituencies backs Modiji. He gave recognition to tribals after he became CM. Before that, nobody thought of us.”
Rooting for the Congress
Chhariya village in Godhra assembly constituency is settled along both sides of the road. Radha Rathawa runs a small roadside shop selling chips and biscuits. Getting water for her household, she says, is her greatest challenge.
“We get no drinking water. I have to struggle to gather enough for my family. I like the Congress, but will vote for whoever my husband recommends. He, too, was talking about the Congress,” she says. Godhra has a Congress MLA, C.K. Raulji.
Shantilal Nayak also complains about water, and adds: “We don’t even have 24-hour power. Houses under the PMAY scheme are being built for some, but not all have got that either. What has the BJP given us? Modiji is good, but his government has done nothing for us. We all support the Congress here.”
A few blocks away, Jenabhai Rathawa sits chatting with some others from the village. He points to a half-dug well close by, and says that’s how they try to get water. He adds that power supply is erratic, and they get electricity for barely a few hours a day.
“We like Modiji, he is number one. But not the rest of his party. The people under him are a big issue, they don’t let anything reach us. Hence, this is our condition. We think the Congress should come to power,” he says.