BJP wants tribal people to stay in forests, says Rahul Gandhi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday tried to highlight the political 'incorrectness' in BJP's semantics.
Speaking during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Assam's Majuli, he said that the Congress referred to tribals as 'adivasis' (original inhabitants) while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJ) called them 'vanvasis' (forest dwellers)
«We call you adivasi; they call you vanvasi. Do you know the difference? Adivasi means first citizens; those who have come to the earth first.
Vanvasi means those who stay in the forest,» Gandhi said.
«BJP wants you to stay in the jungle. They do not want your children to go to colleges and universities; not to learn English; not to run businesses. We want to give back what has been taken away from you.
Your land, forest and water should be given back to you. We introduced laws to give back what is yours,» the Congress leader said.
«We started the yatra from Manipur. The BJP has burnt down Manipur.
For months a civil war like situation has seized Manipur. People are killing each other. Yet, till now, the prime minister has not visited Manipur.
In Nagaland, where we were on Thursday, the PM promised to have an accord nine years back, but he did not keep his word. Here you have India's most corrupt chief minister,» he alleged, referring to Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Rahul crossed the Brahmaputra on a boat to reach Majuli. Gandhi was accompanied by several top leaders of the party, including general secretary Jairam Ramesh, state president Bhupen Kumar Borah and Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Debabrata Saikia.
