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Journalism of Courage
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday hit out at the Congress, saying that while the party exploited tribals since Independence Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given the country its first President from an Adivasi community. He was referring to President Droupadi Murmu who belongs to the Santhal community.
Shah addressed rallies in Dediapada constituency in Narmada district and in Tapi district’s Nizar Assembly seat. In Dediapada, which is a constituency reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities, he told the audience that the BJP government started celebrating the birth anniversary of tribal hero Birsa Munda as Adivasi Gaurav Diwas.
“The Narendra Modi government, be it in Gujarat or the Centre, has always talked about making tribals proud. Even after 75 years of Independence, not a single tribal daughter or boy was made the President. Narendrabhai made Droupadi Murmu the President and all tribals in the entire country were made proud,” Shah said in Nizar.
Claiming that “Congress people do not know tribal development”, Shah said, “In its last Budget for Gujarat, the Congress (when it was in power in the state) had earmarked Rs 1,000 crore for tribals. (Whereas) Our Bhupendrabhai (Patel) presented our last Budget in which Rs 1 lakh crore has been earmarked for tribals.”
He added, “I want to ask the Congress party … You had given a slogan for poverty eradication in the 1970s. You did not eradicate poverty but eradicated the poor. The task of eradicating poverty has been done by Narendrabhai (Modi).”
Speaking about Birsa Munda, Shah accused the Congress of neglecting the sacrifices of Adivasi freedom fighters and only thinking about the Nehru-Gandhi family. “Several freedom fighters from Bhagwan Birsa Munda to Shankar Shah, Raghunath Shah, and Tantya Mama led the uprising against the British and Mughals and sacrificed their lives but nothing was made in their memory. Everything was made for the Nehru-Gandhi family. Narendrabhai is making museums for 10 tribal freedom fighters, of which one is being built in Gujarat for Rs 1,000 crore.”
At the Dediapada event, senior tribal leaders of the BJP from the region were also present along with candidates for Dediapada and Nandod constituencies Hitesh Vasava and Dr Darshana Deshmukh.
Shah listed a range of initiatives of the BJP governments at the Centre and in Gujarat for the welfare of tribal communities. Of those, the Union minister cited the Van Bandhu Kalyan Yojana, all-season road connectivity, scholarship to 33 lakh students, allotment of 13 lakh acre land under the Forest Rights Act, opening nine industrial training institutions, opening a government medical college in Rajpipla, and water for irrigation.
