Contribution of tribals in freedom struggle excluded from history, says Modi

The PM paid tribute to 1,500 tribals, led by Govind Guru, who were massacred by the British at Mangarh Dham on November 17, 1913 .

Addressing an audience comprising Bhil tribals from Gujarat, MP and Rajasthan, Modi said that the incident was an “example of the brutality of the British” that carried the “mindset of oppressive slavery”.

“The November 17, 1913 massacre that happened here was an example of the brutality of the British… On the one hand, there were innocent tribals, who believed in the concept of freedom and on the other hand, there were British, with the mindset of oppressive slavery across the world,” the Prime Minister said.

He added that India is “correcting the mistake” of excluding the contributions of tribals from the history of the country’s freedom struggle.

“Unfortunately, the place that the tribals could have got in the pages of history was not given, In the 75th year of India’s Independence, the country is correcting its mistake and filling that gap. India’s past, history, present, and future without the tribal community is incomplete… Even before the 1857 revolt, the tribals had, in 1780, in Santhal started the first fight against the British,” Modi added.

He said, “There has been a discussion on expanding tourism in Mangarh. The four states of MP, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra have to work together. It is my request to all four governments to discuss at length the development of Mangarh and to create a roadmap so that this memorial of Govind Guru becomes a world tourist spot…”

On the occasion, Modi heaped praises on Govind Guru and said that the current governments were working to build museums to showcase the tribal legacy so that youth and future generations draw inspiration from unsung heroes.

Urging the Chief Ministers of the four states to work together for tribal development, Modi said, “ The contribution of tribals is so huge that we have to work together, dedicated to serving the diverse tribal communities in Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh…” Modi also said that the inauguration of the 300-kilometre broad gauge railway line connecting Asarva to Udaipur would benefit “tourism and industrial development” in tribal areas of Rajasthan.

On the occasion, Shivraj Singh Chauhan said that India had faltered in “teaching the correct history” after independence.

“The correct freedom history was not taught after independence but now, Modiji has also decided to celebrate the Janjatiya Gaurav divas on November 15, and in MP, we will do so by implementing the PESA Act in tribal areas,” he said.

Speaking at the event, Gehlot urged PM Modi to intervene in a “suspended” railway project connecting Banswada to Gujarat and MP, in order to boost tourism to the Mangarh memorial.

Stating that Modi was “receiving respect” across the world as he was representing the land of India, Gehlot said, “The history of Mangarh is written in golden letters in India’s freedom struggle. It is a matter of pride for us that Mangarh has been turned into a memorial… When Modiji travels to the world, he gets so much respect. Why? It is because he comes from the land of India, where there was Gandhiji, where there is strong democracy which has survived even after 70 years.”

While the event was on, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) tweeted that the PM has declared the dham a national monument. Later in the day, the tweet was removed. Ashok Gehlot and Bhupendra Patel, had been demanding this status for the dham.

Speaking at the event, Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel also offered condolences to the victims of the Morbi suspension bridge tragedy.

Patel said: “I offer condolences to those who have passed away in the tragic accident in Morbi two days ago. I pray for the souls of the departed persons to be granted rest. We are grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for staying with us in this hard time and guiding us to lead Gujarat out of this grief.”