Chhattisgarh Election 2023: Rahul Gandhi hits out at BJP, says word 'vanvasi' an insult to tribals

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Rahul Gandhi in Chhattisgarh on Saturday, while hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders. While the BJP refer to the tribal community as 'vanvasis', the Congress uses the term 'adivasis' for them. "There's a huge difference between the two words," Gandhi said while addressing the public in Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, ahead of the assembly elections in the state.

ALSO READ: Chhattisgarh Election 2023: Priyanka Gandhi promises ₹500 subsidy on LPG cylinder | Top 15 poll promises by Congress Gandhi said, "'Adivasi' is a revolutionary word." He explained that the word refers to the "first and real owners of this country, that is, the owners of the water, forests and land of this country". ALSO READ: Assembly elections 2023: 'For Modi, biggest caste in India is...': PM Modi in Chhattisgarh rally "This forest, land and water were taken from your (tribals') hand," he said at the Chhattisgarh rally. Taking a dig at the BJP, he said the party doesn't want to use the word "adivasi" because if they do so, the party will have to return your land, water and forest.

"And they don't want to give in to this matter. Hence, they have come up with this new term 'vanvasi' — which means people who live in the forest, just like the animals," the Congress leader said. "The word vanvasi is an insult to the tribals, and this Congress party will never accept it," he added.

Rahul Gandhi was in Chhattisgarh on Saturday to campaign for the upcoming assembly election. The Chhattisgarh Assembly Election 2023 will be contested on 90 assembly seats. The first phase of polling for 20 seats in Chhattisgarh will be held on November 7.