Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chief Ministers of three States, including one Congress-ruled, paid homage to tribal martyrs of the 1913 massacre at Mangarh Dham in Rajasthan’s southernmost Banswara district adjoining borders of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
The visit of Modi and Chief Ministers Bhupendra Patel, Ashok Gehlot and Shivraj Singh Chouhan is significant in view of the impending Assembly polls in all the three States. There are 27 ST seats in Gujarat, 25 in Rajasthan, and 47 seats in Madhya Pradesh.
Modi said the struggle and sacrifice of the tribal community didn’t get their rightful place in the history written after Independence. Today, the country is rectifying that decades-old mistake, he asserted. “Mangarh is a shared heritage of the people of Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat,” said the Prime Minister after he paid homage to “the sacrifices of unsung tribal heroes and martyrs of freedom struggle”.
“Great freedom fighters like Govind Guru were the representative of India’s tradition and ideals,” he said, adding “India’s past, history, present and India’s future will never be complete without the tribal community”. The Prime Minister paid tributes to Govind Guru whose death Anniversary fell on October 30.
Attending a public programme “Mangarh Dham ki Gaurav Gatha”, the Prime Minister performed “Dhuni Darshan”.
Over 1,500 tribals, who were peacefully demanding independence under the leadership of Guru, were brutally massacred by the British.
Addressing the gathering, Modi said that it is always inspiring to be in the holy land of Mangarh which is a symbol of tapasya, bravery and sacrifice of our tribal bravehearts.
“Mangarh is a shared heritage of the people of Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat”, he said.
“Great freedom fighters like Govind Guru were the representative of India’s tradition and ideals,” the Prime Minister said adding “Govind Guru lost his family but never lost his heart and made every tribal person his family.”
If Govind Guru fought against Britishers for the rights of the tribal community, the Prime Minister pointed out, he also campaigned against the ills of his own community as he was a social reformer, spiritual leader, a saint and a leader. His intellectual and philosophical aspect was as vibrant as his courage and social activism, Modi said.
Remembering the massacre of 17th November, the Prime Minister remarked that it was an example of extreme cruelty by the British rule in India. Modi said that due to unfortunate circumstances, such a significant and impactful event of the freedom struggle could not find its place in the history books.
He exclaimed, “In this Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, India is filling this void and correcting the mistakes that were made decades ago.”
Modi recalled the glorious struggles that date back to as early as the 1780s when Santhal Sangram was fought under the leadership of Tilka Manjhi. He mentioned 1830-32 when the country witnessed Larka Andolan under the leadership of Budhu Bhagat. In 1855 Sidhu-Kanhu Kranti energised the nation. Bhagwan Birsa Munda inspired everyone with his energy and patriotism, he said.
“You will not find any patch of time starting from the beginning of slavery centuries ago, till the 20th century when the flame of Azadi was not kept ablaze by the tribal community”, the Prime Minister said. He mentioned Alluri Sitarama Raju in Andhra Pradesh. In Rajasthan, even before that, the Adivasi Samaj stood with Maharana Pratap. “We are indebted to the tribal community and their sacrifice’, he said.
The Prime Minister highlighted that the tribal population is being provided water and electricity connections, education and health services, and employment opportunities through Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana. “Today, forest cover is also increasing in the country and resources are being protected” he said.
Throwing light on the discussion about the total development of Mangarh Dham, the Prime Minister expressed desire for the expansion of Mangarh Dham asked the four State Governments of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra to work together and have a detailed discussion about preparing a roadmap so that this memorial site of Govind Guru Ji finds a place on the world map. “I am sure that the development of Mangarh Dham will make this area a place of inspiration for the new generation”, the Prime Minister concluded.
Besides Patel, Gehlot and Chouhan, Governor of Madhya Pradesh, Mangubhai Patel, Union Minister of State for Culture, Arjun Ram Meghawal, Union Minister of State for Rural Development, Faggan Singh Kulaste, MPs, MLAs were those present on the occasion among others
At Jambughoda in Gujarat Modi targeted the Congress, saying previous Governments did not think about the development of tribal areas and the Tribal Development Ministry was formed when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister. Modi also launched various development projects.
