Gandhinagar, Feb 28 (PTI) The ruling BJP in Gujarat on Friday accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of promoting separatism on the pretext of fighting against injustice to the Scheduled Tribes in the state.

Speaking in the legislative assembly, Parliamentary and Legislative Affairs minister Rushikesh Patel said the country saw the "politics of separatism" of the AAP in Delhi, and that was why the Arvind Kejriwal-led party was thrown out of power in the national capital.

Earlier, speaking on the motion of thanks to the Governor for his address to the House at the start of the Budget session, AAP MLA Chaitar Vasava, a tribal leader, alleged that tribals in Gujarat were being marginalised despite their significant contribution during the freedom struggle as well as after the independence.

"Though waters of Narmada have reached as far as north Gujarat and Saurashtra, many tribes living near the Sardar Sarovar Dam are still agitating to get compensation for the land they gave for the project," said Vasava, who represents Dediapada in Narmada district.

The lone tribal MLA of AAP further accused the BJP government of not properly implementing the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act as well as 5th Schedule of the Constitution which guarantees certain rights to tribals.

Later, he made a demand on the floor of the House, but his words were expunged by deputy Speaker Jethabhai Bharwad following objections by Tribal Development Minister Kuber Dindor.

"Vasava's words must be expunged because they promote separatism. He is trying to create a rift between tribals and non-tribals. What injustice is he talking about? Our President Droupadi Murmu is also from a tribal community," Dindor said.

In his response, minister Rushikesh Patel said Vasava's demand was unfortunate, especially when President Murmu is on Gujarat visit.

"Thanks to our country's system, even a tribal woman can occupy the highest constitutional post. Moreover, our prime minister Narendra Modi, when he was chief minister, created a system for giving several benefits to tribals in the state," he said.

When AAP failed to consolidate tribal votes in Gujarat, it started the politics of separatism in the state, Patel alleged.

"Now, AAP is trying to acquire power in Gujarat by any means. They are now talking about uplift of tribals. They don't know that many top government officers are from the ST community. It is unfortunate that AAP is trying to derail the development of tribals by making such a demand," he added.

In November last year, Vasava had announced the launch of a new outfit, 'Bhil Pradesh Mukti Morcha', saying it would agitate for a separate state of 'Bhil Pradesh' if the government failed to support development of tribal-dominated areas. PTI PJT PD KRK

Tribal rights protections: MLA's call for a separate state led to expunction amid allegations of promoting separatism. The MLA invoked tribal rights protections, including the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas framework and constitutional safeguards for Scheduled Areas, to claim failures in compensation and participation related to land submerged by the Sardar Sarovar project; the legislature later expunged his remarks after ministers alleged they promoted separatism and sought their removal from the record.