BHOPAL: Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared in Bhopal on Monday that Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary, on November 15, will henceforth be observed by the government, just like Gandhi Jayanti, Sardar Patel's birth anniversary and the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar.
The PM, who was in Bhopal for Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas, said: “This is a big day for the country and tribal society.”
“Today, India is celebrating its first Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas (Tribal Pride Day). For the first time after Independence, on an enormous scale, we are recalling with pride the art and culture of tribal society, its contribution in the country’s Independence movement and nation building. Tribal society is being respected,” he said. The Union government had recently announced the setting up of 10 tribal freedom fighters’ museums across the country.
The contribution of tribals in the journey of India’s culture cannot be doubted, the PM remarked. “Could Lord Rama have been successful without the contribution of tribals? Absolutely not. After spending time with the tribal population, a prince was transformed to Maryada Purushottam Ram,” the Prime Minister said. “During His days in exile, Lord Rama sought inspiration from the tradition, culture, living methods of forest dwellers,” he said.
Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and state BJP chief V D Sharma handed over an ‘Amrit Kalash’ to PM Modi, containing soil from the villages of 75 freedom fighters of Madhya Pradesh, including tribal martyrs. This was to commemorate 75 years of Independence.
Tribal development topmost priority, says Modi
Without naming any political party, PM Modi alleged that those who ruled the country for decades after Independence, “prioritized their selfish political agendas”. “Despite being 10% of the country’s population, tribals were never acknowledged for their participation. For decades, tribal participation and strength was underestimated. The grief, suffering, education of their children and health meant nothing for those in power,” the PM said.
Previous governments committed an offence by not giving importance and precedence to tribal societies, he remarked. “It is necessary to speak about this from every forum. Decades ago, when I started my public life in Gujarat, I saw how some political parties kept the tribal community deprived of prosperity, facilities and development,” he said. “During elections, they asked for votes again and again, but when governments were formed, they did not do much and left tribal society helpless.”
The PM recalled that after becoming chief minister of Gujarat, he started many schemes for tribals, and after 2014 (on becoming PM), he kept tribal development as his “topmost priority”. “Every tribal citizen is being given adequate participation in the development of the country. Whether housing for the poor, construction of toilets, free electricity and gas connection, school, roads, free medical facilities — all this is being done at the same speed as the rest of the country. If crores of rupees are being sent to the bank accounts of farmers in the rest of the country, then the same is being done to farmers of tribal areas,” PM Modi asserted. TNN
