Congress only used tribals as vote bank, says Chhattisgarh CM Sai
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has accused the Congress of treating tribals as a "vote bank" for decades, asserting the ruling BJP had genuinely prioritised the community's welfare.
Sai said people across India, including members of Scheduled Tribes, had observed the Congress's approach to the community for the past 50–60 years, alleging the party had merely used it as a vote bank. "It is the BJP government that has genuinely cared for them," he told reporters on Wednesday.
He noted that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had established a separate ministry for the development of Scheduled Tribes during his tenure, and said tribal communities were benefiting from various Centre and state welfare schemes, including the PM-JANMAN scheme for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups.
All India Adivasi Congress national president Vikrant Bhuria hit back, alleging the BJP government had neglected the tribal community. He claimed Sai, despite receiving the community's support throughout his political career, had "denied their very existence" by not extending greetings to them on Tribal Day. Bhuria, in Raipur to attend a meeting of the Adivasi Congress executive committee and Tribal Advisory Council at Rajiv Bhawan, demanded that the chief minister apologise to the tribal community.
On reservation, Bhuria said it was necessary until social, economic, educational and mental equality was achieved. Reservation was introduced to address historical injustice and caste-based discrimination, he said, arguing it could not be abolished as long as such discrimination persisted.
(With inputs from PTI)
