E-Paper
Congress targets BJP over tribal land issue on Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary
The Congress accused the ruling party of seizing Adivasi land and handing them over to companies such as the Adani Group
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the tribal land issue on the occasion of freedom fighter and tribal leader Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary on Tuesday accusing the ruling party of seizing Adivasi land and handing them over to companies such as the Adani Group.
Jairam Ramesh, member of Rajya Sabha representing Karnataka and Congress general secretary in charge of communications, was speaking at a press briefing in Washim, Maharashtra, as part of the party’s Kanyakumari-to-Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra.
“The Land Acquisition Act, 2013, brought into force by the UPA, has been weakened by the current government, which is concerning for the Adivasi community. The policy of the Modi government does not recognise the rights of people from the Adivasi community over their own lands. Rather they seize their land and hand them over to companies such as the Adani Group,” Ramesh said.
In the run-up to the Gujarat assembly elections scheduled for next month, the Congress and the BJP are locked in a tussle to gain Adivasi votes in the north Indian state. The Modi government organised a spate of events across the country, with President Murmu leading the festivities by visiting the birthplace of Birsa Munda in Jharkhand on Tuesday and garlanding his statue.
In a tweet, Ramesh said, “Today is the 69th day of #BharatJodoYatra and the 147th birth anniversary of Birsa Munda, born just 15 days later than Sardar Patel. But tragically, he died in a British jail in Ranchi at the very young age of 25.”
Rahul Gandhi tweeted, “Tributes to the great freedom fighter and revered leader of the tribal community, Birsa Munda on his birth anniversary. His struggle and passion to keep the voice of right always high will continue to inspire all of us.”
Speaking on the Bharat Jodo Yatra at the press briefing, Ramesh said, “The Bharat Jodo Yatra is not Rahul Gandhi’s Mann Ki Baat Yatra. This is not where he delivers speeches but rather where he listens to the woes of the citizens, such as inflation, unemployment, and GST. He is in a listening mindset. And in our politics, there is not a lack of orators, but rather a shortage of leaders who listen.”
In the press briefing, Ramesh reiterated that Bharat Jodo Yatra is not a political stunt to gain votes. “Elections will keep happening. We will keep losing or winning. The Bharat Jodo Yatra is not related to the elections in any way. The yatra is a different initiative of the Congress,” the Karnataka MP said.
“This yatra is not for increasing vote banks. I admit that a political party has organised the yatra, and we are fighting political and social challenges with large participation from political workers. But the intention is not to garner votes.”
In an earlier press briefing held in Karnataka, Jairam Ramesh had asserted that the main focus within the Congress is on the ongoing ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’. Ramesh claimed that the political narrative is being set by the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ for the “real emerging Congress.”
“Maharashtra has always been a bastion of the Congress. Till 1993, Sudhakar Rao Naik had been elected as the Maharastra CM as a member of the Congress party,” he said.
“Even when we have lost, we have lost after gaining up to 40% of the votes from residents of Maharashtra. These voters who believe in the Congress are still here,” he added.
