Politics
Bhuvan Krishna
Nov 14, 2023, 02:58 PM | Updated 02:58 PM IST
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Ahead of the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached out to tribals on Monday (13 November).
He announced his plan to visit the native village of their icon Birsa Munda on his birth anniversary and launch a welfare scheme for the community while criticising the Congress for neglecting adivasis for the past 60 years.
Prime Minister Modi, campaigning for the BJP in preparation for the 17 November polls, reassured the people of Madhya Pradesh that if the ruling party remains in power, it will fulfil all promises made.
He also cautioned them against the Congress, stating that the opposition party is capable of making extravagant promises, such as building a "castle of gold," to win elections.
He stated, "After two days, Bhawan Birsa Munda's birth anniversary will fall (on 15 November). We celebrate it as 'Janjatiya Gaurav Divas' (Tribal Pride Day). Tribesmen have played a big role in freedom struggle."
Prime Minister Modi stated that the Congress has never shown concern for tribals, whereas the BJP is committed to upholding their respect and promoting social justice.
The Prime Minister announced that he will be visiting the village of Bhagwan Birsa Munda in Jharkhand on 15 November.
During his visit, he will be launching a welfare scheme for the tribals and expressed his intention to show his respect by bowing down.
Madhya Pradesh is home to the largest tribal population in India, with 47 assembly seats reserved for candidates from scheduled tribes out of a total of 230 seats.
The Prime Minister is set to launch a Rs 24,000 crore scheme in New Delhi, aimed at the holistic development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) on 'Janjatiya Gaurav Divas' in Jharkhand, according to official sources.
The PVTG Development Mission, a groundbreaking initiative, is set to empower tribals and mark a significant milestone in their progress.
During his speech, Modi emphasised that the NDA government, under the leadership of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had established a dedicated ministry for tribal development.
According to him, the indigenous people in Madhya Pradesh have experienced positive outcomes due to the government's dual power (with BJP in control at both the state and central levels).
The Prime Minister cautioned voters against being swayed by the "false" promises made by the opposition party.
He highlighted that in states governed by Congress, there has been a surge in crime rates, frequent riots, and an increase in atrocities against women.
The Prime Minister, who is also the star campaigner for the BJP, emphasised that these states have witnessed growth and development only after the Congress was removed from power.
He also stated that whenever the Congress comes into power, even prosperous states end up being ruined. They engage in looting once they have the authority. The people of MP need to remain vigilant.
During a speech, Prime Minister Modi expressed his disbelief at the tragic killing of Kanhaiya Lal, a tailor in Udaipur.
Modi attributed the incident to the misrule of the Congress party in Rajasthan, emphasising that it occurred in the land of braves. Kanhaiya Lal, aged 48, was brutally murdered with a cleaver inside his shop on June 28, 2022. The assailants claimed that they committed this act to avenge an alleged insult to Islam.
Later this month, elections will be held in Rajasthan.
The Grand Old Party had made lofty promises to farmers, women, youths, and state government employees of Himachal Pradesh.
However, after winning the elections last year in the hill state, they all felt deceived as those promises remained unfulfilled.
In May this year, the Congress party came into power in Karnataka. However, it seems that development in the southern state has come to a standstill, according to Modi.
The Prime Minister issued a warning to the people of Madhya Pradesh, a state governed by the BJP, stating that if Congress can take such actions against a prosperous state like Karnataka, they may go to even greater lengths in Madhya Pradesh.
The MP was pushed into a "dark well" by the Congress, but the BJP has rescued it. According to him, Congress is only focused on filling its empty coffers once in power.
He made a sarcastic remark about Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress party, referring to Gandhi's 2017 statement about making "gold from potatoes".
In Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, both of which are governed by the Congress, Prime Minister Modi pointed out the frequent emergence of stacks of illegally obtained currency notes.
PM Modi expressed confidence that the love and support of the people will overcome any abuse directed towards him.
Prime Minister Modi expressed a lack of trust in the Congress due to its history of broken promises and unreliable statements while in office.
The Prime Minister further pledged to the people of Madhya Pradesh that his party, the BJP, will fulfill all the promises made to them once they are re-elected in the state.
The state of Madhya Pradesh will undergo single-phase polling for its 230 seats, with the results set to be announced on 3 December.
Bhuvan Krishna is Staff Writer at Swarajya.