Rahul Gandhi, leader of the Congress party, may have gotten himself into a sticky situation before the Jharkhand Assembly elections by accusing the BJP of being “anti-tribal.” Gandhi made the accusation, “The BJP calls tribals ‘Vanvasi’,” on October 19 in Ranchi, and he blasted the Indian educational system for having “10-15 lines about tribals.” The education system he mentioned was mostly created under the administration of the Congress, therefore his comments have given the BJP a chance to criticize him.
The BJP has brought attention to the fact that prominent tribal figures such as Birsa Munda and President Droupadi Murmu were ignored by the Congress party. Rahul Gandhi has unwittingly given the BJP a chance to criticize Congress for its failures of the past by bringing attention to his party’s track record in these comments.
Rahul Gandhi Criticizes Indian Education
“I studied in India’s education system,” Rahul Gandhi said in an effort to appeal to tribal feelings in his address. Only ten or fifteen lines are devoted to indigenous people. The lack of emphasis on the contributions of the nation’s builders—farmers, laborers, carpenters, barbers, cobblers—was something he found puzzling.
But his assessment of the educational system has prompted inquiries, as Congress shaped that system during its reign in India’s post-independence era. In response, the BJP brought up the fact that Rahul Gandhi’s family and the Congress party were to blame for the marginalization of tribal heritage.
BJP Strongly Reacts to Rahul
Babulal Marandi, a prominent BJP politician, fiercely reacted to Rahul Gandhi’s comments, saying that the Congress government was responsible for the disregard of tribal heritage. During Congress’s rule, he said, the respected tribal leader Birsa Munda was disregarded, despite having died for tribal rights and India’s independence. “Tribal history was not given a full chapter in textbooks when Rahul Gandhi was in school, even under Congress rule,” Marandi remarked.
Marandi went on to say that Prime Minister Narendra Modi made up for this wrong by paying tribute to Birsa Munda’s legacy by visiting his village. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has committed 2025 to commemorating Birsa Munda’s legacy and making sure that every Indian hears his narrative.
Inconsistency in Congress and the Droupadi Murmu
Further, Rahul Gandhi claimed that Droupadi Murmu, the first tribal woman to hold the office of president in India, had been denied admission to the Ram Temple inauguration by the BJP. Many began to doubt Congress’s commitment to tribal representation when the BJP brought up the fact that Congress had run Yashwant Sinha against Murmu in the presidential election.
The Relations Between the Congress and the Jharkhand Tribal Movement
Rahul Gandhi, in his desire to demonstrate compassion for the tribal people of Jharkhand, failed to mention that the BJP was the political party responsible for the establishment of states such as Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. Lalu Prasad Yadav, a prominent Congress supporter, notably spoke out against the construction of Jharkhand, stating, “Jharkhand will be created over my dead body.”
“Congress crushed the Jharkhand movement,” said prominent tribal leader Champai Soren, who went on to condemn Congress even more. After giving indigenous people respect in the 1951 Census, he said, Congress downplayed their importance in 1961. According to Soren, this demonstrated that Congress did not really care about the indigenous population of Jharkhand.
Congress and Hemant Soren Face Allegations
The Jharkhand administration, headed by Hemant Soren, has been accused of corruption and land grabbing from tribal communities, which has further tarnished Congress’s reputation. Additionally, the Karnataka Maharishi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation (KMVSTDC) has accused Congress of misappropriating monies intended for tribal development in the state of Karnataka. It is said that these monies were used for the purpose of bribing voters in the Bellary elections.
Meanwhile, the Santhal Pargana region’s indigenous tribal population is under danger due to the systematic facilitation of illegal migration by the Hemant Soren administration, which has resulted in a rebuke from the Jharkhand High Court.
Finally, a Political Misstep
In response to Rahul Gandhi’s claims that the BJP is “anti-tribal,” the BJP has been able to draw attention to the Congress party’s long-standing failure to support tribal groups and cultural symbols such as Birsa Munda. It is believed that the BJP would use this story in the next Jharkhand elections to remind people that the Congress party disregarded indigenous rights and histories for many years, and that the BJP is the only party that has addressed these injustices.
In addition to reviving the BJP’s criticism of Congress’s tribal policy, Rahul Gandhi’s comments have shown inconsistencies in his party’s political position on tribal matters. Voters’ reactions to these stories will be on display in the next elections.
