PM hails tribal community's contribution to freedom struggle; accuses Congress of neglecting them
Dediapada (Gujarat), Nov 15 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the tribal community's contribution to the country's freedom struggle was significant, but the Congress did not acknowledge the same and neglected the community during its 60-year rule.
The contribution of tribal freedom fighters was ignored so that the credit could be given to a "few families", he said, speaking at a large gathering at Dediapada town in Gujarat's Narmada district to mark the birth anniversary of tribal icon Bhagwan Birsa Munda on Janjatiya Gaurav Divas.
Before his speech, the prime minister inaugurated or laid the foundation stone of infrastructure and development projects costing more than Rs 9,700 crore.
"Whenever the nation's honor, self-respect and freedom were concerned, our tribal community stood at the forefront. Our freedom struggle is the greatest example of this. Numerous freedom fighters emerged from the tribal community and they carried forward the torch of freedom," Modi said.
Citing the tribal freedom fighters such as Govind Guru, Rupsingh Nayak and Motilal Tejawat from Gujarat, the PM said countless chapters of the freedom struggle are filled with examples of manifestation of tribal pride and bravery.
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The tribal community shed its blood for freedom, but its contribution was "ignored" so that the credit could be given to a "few families", Modi claimed.
"We cannot forget the contribution of tribal communities in the freedom movement, and this work (of recognising the same) should have been done after Independence. But in the pursuit of giving credit for independence to a few families, the sacrifices and dedication of my tribal brothers and sisters were ignored," he said.
Due to this attitude, no one remembered Bhagwan Birsa Munda before 2014, Modi added.
Family members of Birsa Munda were with him on stage, and he was the first prime minister to visit Munda's house, he informed.
The celebration of Janjatiya Gaurav Divas provides an opportunity to remember the "injustice done to tribal brothers and sisters", Modi further said.
"The Congress party, which ruled the country for six decades, left the tribals to their fate. Though the tribals were facing several issues such as malnutrition and lack of healthcare, education and connectivity, the Congress governments remained idle," he alleged.
"Tribals are also associated with Lord Ram. They come from that era. But those who ruled for six decades did not realize that something was needed to be done for the development of such a large tribal community. Tribal welfare has been the BJP's top priority, and we have resolved to end this injustice," the PM added.
It was former prime minister and late BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee who established a separate ministry for the tribal community at the Centre, Modi said.
"But, when Congress came back to power after Vajpayee, they neglected the tribal community for the next 10 years and completely forgot about it," he alleged.
Referring to acclaimed sportspersons like Mary Kom, Dutee Chand and Baichung Bhutia, the PM said tribal youths have made a significant contribution to bringing glory for India on the global stage.
"Similarly, new players from tribal areas are emerging in every major competition. Recently, India's cricket team won the Women's World Cup, and a daughter from our tribal community played a key role in that. Our government is continuously working to discover new talent in tribal areas and encourage them to progress," said the PM.
His government works with the vision of providing equal opportunities to the underprivileged, Modi said, adding that in the last five years, the Union government has spent more than Rs 18,000 crore on building model tribal schools in the country.
"Essential facilities have been provided to the students. As a result, the number of tribal children enrolled in these schools has increased by 60 per cent," he said.
Earlier, the PM inaugurated or laid the foundation stones of multiple development projects aimed at uplifting tribal communities and improving infrastructure in rural and remote areas of the region.
He also witnessed the 'Grih Pravesh' ceremony (marking a family taking possession of a new dwelling) for 1,00,000 houses built under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) and Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DA-JAGUA).
The prime minister also inaugurated 42 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) for tribal students, built at a cost of around Rs 1,900 crore; 228 Multi-Purpose Centres to act as hubs for community-led activities; Centre of Competence in Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh, and Tribal Research Institute building in Imphal, Manipur for the preservation of tribal culture and heritage.
In addition, the PM flagged off 250 buses for 14 tribal districts of Gujarat, laid the foundation stone for 748 km of new roads in tribal areas and 14 Tribal Multi-Marketing Centres under DA-JAGUA to serve as community hubs.
He also laid the foundation stone of 50 new Eklavya Model Residential Schools, to be built at a cost of over Rs 2,320 crore.
Earlier in the day, Modi offered prayers to Pandori Mata, a deity of the tribal community, at a temple in Devmogra village of Gujarat's tribal-dominated Narmada district.
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Delhi CM Rekha Gupta accuses Mamata Banerjee of stalling SIR; TMC hits back
Kolkata (PTI): Alleging that her West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee had approached the Supreme Court to stall the SIR exercise to prevent the identification of infiltrators, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday claimed that the people of the state have made up their minds to dislodge the Trinamool Congress from power.
The TMC countered strongly, urging Gupta to "look into her own backyard" and accused her of making absurd allegations against the TMC government without checking facts.
Addressing participants at the 'Nari Sankalp Yatra' organised by the BJP's women's wing at Science City auditorium here, Gupta alleged that the "hands-off" and appeasement policies of the TMC government had allowed thousands of infiltrators to enter the state in recent years.
She claimed that this had put a strain on basic rights such as access to water, electricity, ration, education, livelihood and the right to vote for genuine citizens.
"She wants to perpetuate this and hence is trying to stall the SIR exercise, which aims at identifying and deporting infiltrators. Imagine a chief minister going to the apex court to argue against an exercise meant to ensure free and fair polls," Gupta said.
The BJP leader alleged that appeasement politics had reached an "alarming level" under the TMC regime.
Raising concerns over women's safety, she claimed that women in the state were not secure despite having a woman chief minister.
Referring to the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Gupta alleged that the state government had failed to respond adequately to such crimes.
She also referred to the alleged rape of a woman medic in Durgapur and another law student on a Kolkata college campus, claiming that criminals had been emboldened to commit brutalities against women.
She alleged that in crimes against women, overall crime incidents and child marriages, West Bengal remained among the top -- "a slur on a state which once led intellectual and social movements and set examples for the rest of the country," she said.
Criticising the state government's welfare initiatives, she said schemes such as Kanyashree were built on "false claims" and asserted that women needed security rather than assurances.
Accusing the state government of blocking central schemes, Gupta alleged that funds worth "lakhs of crores of rupees" had not reached the poor due to non-implementation of programmes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission by the state.
"You are only interested in renaming projects and taking credit," she said.
Gupta also alleged that the education sector in the state had been adversely affected, saying several state-run schools had closed due to a shortage of teachers and that the government was opposed to the National Education Policy.
Drawing a comparison with BJP-ruled Delhi, Gupta said, "People have already voted out 'Bhaia' (a reference to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal). Now it is your turn to bid farewell to 'Didi'." Calling upon women to resist what she termed "strong-arm tactics", she urged them to assert their strength, invoking the imagery of Goddess Durga.
"Bengal has the right to live with dignity, and women have the right to live with dignity," she added.
Reacting to Gupta's allegations, West Bengal Women and Child Welfare minister Shashi Panja accused her of making "absurd allegations" against the Trinamool Congress government ahead of elections.
Panja alleged that during Gupta's tenure in Delhi, several incidents had raised serious concerns, including reports of missing young women and a blast near the Red Fort.
She also criticised the air pollution situation in the national capital, claiming that people were struggling to breathe.
The TMC leader said that despite being in power for a year, Gupta was making "tall claims" instead of addressing key issues in Delhi.
Panja further alleged that the Delhi CM visited West Bengal during elections to "peddle false allegations" against the state government.
Rebutting Gupta, the TMC said in a post on X said, "Madam why did you go off-script again? For your edification, here are the cold, hard facts: In total cases of crimes (IPC + SLL), Bengal ranks a respectable 15th, far safer than BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, which languish near the bottom."
"In overall crime rate, Bengal sits comfortably at 28th. Who's second? Your own Delhi. Double Engine Gujarat and Haryana grab 4th and 5th as top-tier crime havens," the TMC said.
"In child marriage, Assam again takes the shameful pole position. And yet you dare lecture Bengal? Stop embarrassing yourself, stop the hypocrisy, and maybe fix the rotting mess in your own backyard before pointing fingers at a state that's outperforming your disasters on every key metric," the TMC countered.
