Ahmedabad
Remembering the contribution of tribals in India’s freedom struggle on the occasion of Dharti Aaba Bhagwan Birsa Munda’s 150th birth anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday lashed out at the Congress saying that those in the power for six decades ignored the contribution of the Adivasis.
Modi held that the contribution of the tribals was ignored so that credit of the freedom struggle could be given to members of a family.
Talking about the plight of the tribals during earlier days, the Prime Minister said that the Congress left them to their fate and that is the reason there was malnutrition, poor health, lack of education and poor road connectivity in the tribal areas. He said it was only when Atal Behari Vajpayee became the Prime Minister that a separate Ministry dedicated to Scheduled Tribes was formed. The Congress, however, ignored the Ministry in the next decade, he added. Referring to 2014, Modi said the budget was increased manifold when we came to power.
Modi was addressing a massive gathering in Dediapada of Narmada district in Gujarat. Before reaching the public meeting, he offered prayers to Dev Mogra Mataji.
Modi categorically said that it is imperative for the future generations to know about the contribution of the tribals in the freedom struggle. “To ensure that future generations remember this legacy, several tribal museums are being built across the country. Here in Gujarat too, a large tribal museum is taking shape on 25 acres of land in Rajpipla. A few days ago, I also visited Chhattisgarh, where I inaugurated the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Tribal Museum. Likewise, in Ranchi, the jail where Bhagwan Birsa Munda was once imprisoned has now been transformed into a grand museum dedicated to him and the freedom movement of that era,” he said.
“Tilka Manjhi, Rani Gaidinliu, Sidho-Kanhu, Bhairav Murmu, Budhu Bhagat; Alluri Sitarama Raju who inspired tribal communities; Tatya Bhil of Madhya Pradesh; Veer Narayan Singh of Chhattisgarh; Telanga Khadia of Jharkhand; Rupchand Kunwar of Assam; Laxman Naik of Odisha—so many such heroes made immense sacrifices and fought tirelessly for India’s freedom. They never allowed the British to rest in peace. The tribal society sparked countless revolts and shed its blood for independence,” he maintained.
The PM said that in 2021, we began celebrating the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas. “Tribal pride has been an integral part of India’s consciousness for thousands of years. Whenever the nation’s honour, dignity, and self-rule were at stake, our tribal communities stood at the forefront.”
Today, in the name of Govind Guru, a chair and a Tribal Language Promotion Centre has been established, he said adding research will be carried out on the dialects of tribal communities such as Bhil, Gamit, Vasava, Garasia, Konkani, Santhal, Rathwa, Nayak, Dabla, Chaudhary, Konkana, Kumbhi, Warli, and Doria. Their stories and songs will be preserved. The tribal society holds a vast treasure of knowledge, gained through thousands of years of experience. Science is embedded in their lifestyle, philosophy in their stories, and an understanding of the environment in their language, he said.
The Prime Minister mentioned how the sickle cell issue was being tackled in the tribal areas and how the number of schools have increased manifold. Modi also referred to tribals who are occupying the top posts in the states and Centre.
Modi said taking the oath of “Sab ka saath, sab ka vikas (Together will all, development for all) will be a real tribute to Birsa Munda on his 150th birth anniversary. He expressed confidence that if this was done then it would be possible to achieve the dream of seeing India as a developed Nation by 2047.
Dressed in traditional attire, 150 artists from 13 states presented shorter versions of their traditional dance forms. Functions were organised across the tribal belts in the country where the programme held at Dediapada was live streamed and top dignitaries participated.
Why The PM Chose Dediapada?
Dediapada is a very important tribal area for the BJP. Though the BJP has under its belt 23 out of the 27 ST assembly seats in Gujarat, Dediapada is one seat that it would love to win in the future. Gujarat that has 182 assembly seats goes for elections in 2027. According to the 2011 census, the tribal population in Gujarat is 14.75 percent. Aam Aadmi Party’s MLA Chaitar Vasava has often given sleepless nights to the BJP. His popularity has remained intact though he has been in and out of the jail in connection with various cases.
Developmental Works:
The Prime Minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of the projects worth Rs 9,700 crore. Among these include:
- The foundation stone for 190 Ashramshalas, 50 Eklavya Model Residential Schools, 14 Tribal Multi-Marketing Centres, and 748 KM road connectivity (along with a 6 KM bridge) worth Rs. 3,777 crore.
- Inauguration of various development works in tribal areas under PM-JANMAN and Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA) viz., One lakh houses, tap water connections for 10,000 households, 228 multi-purpose centres, and 42 Eklavya Model Residential Schools.
- Additionally, a Centre of Competence at Assam Medical College in Dibrugarh and an Administrative/Training Building for the Tribal Research Institute at Imphal, Manipur.
- Development projects to accelerate Gujarat’s development. The Central Government presented development projects worth Rs. 7667 crore, and the State Government presented development projects worth Rs. 2,112 crore to the state.
