Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas in Madhya Pradesh today, as part of the ruling BJP's plan to bring back into its fold tribals from the state; the community had slipped away from the party's sphere of influence in the previous assembly elections, and the repercussions were big.
Modi will inaugurate a museum in Ranchi in the memory of revered tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda via video-conferencing. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement that Modi has always emphasised the invaluable contribution of tribal communities, particularly their sacrifices for the cause of the country's freedom struggle.
In his Independence Day speech in 2016, Modi emphasised the role they played by tribal freedom fighters in the freedom struggle and envisaged building museums, dedicated to their memories, so that coming generations would be able to know about their sacrifices for the country. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has so far sanctioned the construction of 10 tribal freedom fighter museums. These museums will cherish the memories of tribal freedom fighters from various states and regions.
The Congress hit back, announcing that they will hold a parallel convention in Jabalpur on the same day to commemorate Munda. Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Sunday alleged the BJP was using the names of tribal icons Birsa Munda and Gond queen Rani Kamalapati for political benefit, but, in reality, some leaders of the ruling party are committing "atrocities" against tribal people in the state. "A complaint has come from Sidhi that a BJP MLA has grabbed the land of a tribal and transferred it in his name. In Panna district, MP BJP president V.D. Sharma's numainde [representative] Khunna Maharaj Trivedi's family has allegedly grabbed valuable lands of some tribals. They had demolished the houses of tribals and constructed houses over that land," Singh said.
Significance of tribal votes in MP
As per the 2011 Census, tribals account for 1.53 crore, or 21.08 per cent, of the state's 7.26 crore population, and 47 assembly seats in the 230-member house are reserved for Scheduled Tribes. Tribals account for at least 50,000 votes each in 35 other assembly seats, and the segment could once again make the difference for the ruling BJP in the 2023 state polls. The Congress had managed to trump the BJP in 2018 and attain power in the state after winning 31 of the 47 ST seats, with the rest going to the latter.
In 2003, the BJP had managed to unseat the Congress government of Digvijaya Singh by winning 37 of 41 ST seats. The catalyst for this ride to power of the BJP, observers said, was a massive 'Hindu Conference' held in Jhabua in 2002 in which over two lakh tribals took part. In the 2008 Assembly polls, when the delimitation exercise increased ST seats to 47, the BJP continued to hold sway in the segment by winning 41 of them. In 2013, the BJP returned to power in MP, with the party pocketing 31 of the 47 ST seats.
