Rahul alleged the BJP has been purposely terming tribals as "vanvasis" (forest dwellers) instead of calling them "adivasis" (original inhabitants) with a motive to uproot them from their land. Photo: PTI
Rahul: We will transfer Rs 1 lakh into accounts of women of SC, ST, backward categories
He said if the Congress came to power, it would strictly enforce the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to ensure decisions in tribal-dominated areas were made locally and not imposed by Delhi or Bhopal
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday (April 8) exuded confidence about winning the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and announced a party-led government will transfer ₹1 lakh annually into bank accounts of women belonging to SC, ST, and backward categories.
Reaching out to tribals in Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Madhya Pradesh, Rahul said they are the original owners of the land and bemoaned that no individual from the community is among promoters of the top 200 companies in the country or part of their senior management.
Guaranteed apprenticeships
Addressing a rally at Dhanora in Seoni district, part of the Mandla Lok Sabha constituency which will vote in the first phase on April 19, he assured to provide guaranteed apprenticeships to unemployed youths if the Congress formed the next government at the Centre.
"We will bring a new law to ensure that every unemployed youth in the country gets a one-year apprenticeship in public and private sectors during which they will also get ₹1 lakh as allowance," the former Congress chief said. “After completing the apprenticeship, they will get a job at the same place if they perform well,” he added.
Indigenous people’s claim on land
He assured them that if the Congress came to power, it would settle the indigenous people's claim on their land in just one year.
"Our manifesto mentions three to four revolutionary steps like transferring ₹1 lakh into (bank) accounts of women belonging to SC and ST categories, backward classes, and for women from poor families. This way we will provide thousands of rupees in their accounts every month," he said.
The Congress has fielded former minister and MLA Omkar Singh Markam from the tribal-reserved Mandla constituency against the sitting BJP MP and Union minister Faggan Singh Kulaste.
The Congress manifesto has also promised to double the money being paid to Asha (community health volunteers) and Anganwadi (child care centre) workers, Rahul said.
Govt jobs, MSP for crops
"After forming a government at the Centre, we will end the contractual system in employment and will fill 30 lakh vacancies in the government sector," he said.
The Congress government will frame a law to ensure that farmers get adequate MSP for their crops for which they have been agitating for a long period, the Lok Sabha member from Kerala said.
Adivasis, not ‘vanvasis’
Rahul alleged the BJP has been purposely terming tribals as "vanvasis" (forest dwellers) instead of calling them "adivasis" (original inhabitants) with a motive to uproot them from their land and snatch their first right on the water, forest, and land.
"They want to give their (tribals) land to industrialists," he said.
"The Congress calls you all 'adivasi' but Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah and the BJP call you 'vanvasi'. These two terms connote two different ideologies. Adivasi means people who are the master of the land. They are the original owners of the land, water, jungle, and wealth,” the Congress leader asserted.
Congress gave land rights to tribals
Rahul said the Congress, when in power, gave land rights to tribals.
"Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the Congress government gave you land rights," he said.
"When adivasis ask for employment, education, and compensation (for their land), the BJP puts them in jail,” Rahul alleged.
Last year’s urination incident
He referred to last year's urination incident in Sidhi district where the victim was a tribal, and hit out at the saffron outfit over the unsavoury episode the video of which had gone viral. The incident had caused a nationwide outrage, prompting then-Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to call the victim to his official residence and wash his feet as an act of atonement.
"A video went viral showing a BJP leader urinating on a tribal. They made it viral. First, they make a video and then make it viral," he alleged.
The accused in the Sidhi incident was a member of a privileged caste and the Congress had alleged he was linked to a local BJP legislator, a charge denied by the saffron party.
Abysmal representation of tribals in business, bureaucracy, media
Tribals constitute more than 8 per cent of the total population in India, but none of them were owners of the top 200 companies or part of their senior management, the former Congress president said.
"There is just one adivasi bureaucrat among 90 IAS officers who are running the country and allotting budgets (to different government departments)," Rahul maintained.
“Show me one adivasi owner of a media outlet or a news anchor from the community,” he added, flagging their low representation in the media.
‘Congress will enforce Sixth Schedule’
He said if the Congress came to power, it would strictly enforce the Sixth Schedule (of the Constitution) to ensure decisions in tribal-dominated areas were made locally and not imposed by Delhi or Bhopal.
This Schedule would be enforced in areas where the population of indigenous people was 50 per cent, said the Congress MP.
The Sixth Schedule provides for administering certain tribal areas as autonomous entities.
(With agency inputs)
