Addressing a poll rally in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the BJP and the RSS of attacking tribal identity and giving away forests to billionaires.
“People of the BJP and the RSS attack your religion, your ideology, your languages and your history. Forests are decreasing in India and who is doing that? People of the BJP are handing over forest land to billionaires like [industrialist Gautam] Adani ji. A day will come when there will be no forest in India and then the BJP and RSS will tell you that you are a vanvasi (forest dweller) and now there are no forests, you do not belong anywhere,” he said, drawing a distinction between the word adivasi (indigenous) and vanvasi that he said was being used by the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for tribals.
At the rally seeking support for Kawasi Lakhma, the Congress candidate from Bastar, a reserved constituency for the Scheduled Tribe, Mr. Gandhi said adivasis were the first and real owners of land, water and forest. He said the Congress sought to defend their rights.
