Ranchi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is facing severe criticism over calling the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ‘anti-tribal’. The Congress MP from Kerala called BJP anti-tribal, while attending an election rally in Jharkhand on October 19.
‘The BJP calls tribals ‘Vanvasi’. ‘India’s education system has only 10-15 lines about tribals… I studied in India’s education system. You’ll only find 10-15 lines about tribals. What is their history? What is their way of life? There’s nothing written about that… OBC is just a term used for you. Is that your name? Who decided you are backward? Your rightful place has been taken away. Where is the history of the farmers, labourers, carpenters, barbers, cobblers, who built this country?,’ the Congress leader said.
‘The education system Rahul Gandhi is referring to was actually developed under Congress rule. It was Congress that neglected great tribal figures, from Birsa Munda to India’s President Droupadi Murmu,’ replied BJP.
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BJP said that Rahul Gandhi received his education during a period when Congress ruled the country. After India’s independence, the Congress party established the education system, and it was Congress that crafted and managed the country’s academic framework.
‘Rahul Gandhi is right that Congress and the Gandhi family ignored the history and culture of tribal communities for decades. The struggles, politics, and social status of tribals were never given prominence. When Rahul Gandhi was in school, he saw that even under Congress rule, tribal history was not given a full chapter in the textbooks. Only a few incomplete mentions were made, failing to properly present their struggles and history. This injustice to the tribal community happened under Congress’s governance, where their rich legacy was sidelined. But times have changed now. I urge Rahul Gandhi to look at today’s books, in an era where the country is led by a leader who respects every community equally,’ said BJP leader Babulal Marandi.
Babulal Marandi pointed out that even the great tribal leader, Birsa Munda, was ignored during Congress rule. Birsa Munda, who sacrificed his life for the freedom and rights of the tribal community and the country, was never appropriately honored during Congress’s reign. No Congress leader or Prime Minister visited his village to acknowledge his sacrifice.
However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ended this injustice, becoming the first PM to visit Birsa Munda’s village and pay proper respect. The BJP has decided to dedicate 2025 to honouring Birsa Munda’s legacy and struggle for freedom.
‘Congress crushed the Jharkhand movement. In the 1951 Census, tribals were given respect, but by 1961, their significance was diminished. Just look at our history. This is why Congress can never be a true well-wisher of Jharkhand’s tribals,’ said tribal leader Champai Soren.
BJP also poited out that allegations of land grabbing from tribals have also been leveled against Congress’s ally and Jharkhand CM, Hemant Soren. Reports of financial irregularities in the Karnataka Maharishi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation (KMVSTDC) have surfaced.
The term of Jharkhand Assembly will end on January 5, 2025. Jharkhand Assembly has 81 seats. More than 2.6 crore eligible voters are there in Jharkhand this time. Jharkhand will go to polls vote in two phases – on November 13 and November 20 ands the counting of votes will be held on November 23.
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