RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Wednesday accused the Congress of viewing tribal communities primarily as a “vote bank”, asserting that the BJP had taken concrete steps for their welfare and development.
Sai said the BJP had consistently worked towards improving the socio-economic conditions of tribal communities and cited the creation of a separate ministry for Scheduled Tribes during the tenure of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as an example.
“The Congress party has used the tribal community solely as a vote bank. If anyone has truly cared for the tribal community, it is the Bharatiya Janata Party government,” Sai told reporters here.
He said tribal communities were benefiting from several welfare initiatives of both the Centre and the state government, including the PM-JANMAN scheme aimed at improving the living conditions of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
The chief minister’s remarks drew a sharp response from All India Adivasi Congress national president Vikrant Bhuria, who accused the BJP government of failing to adequately address the concerns of tribal communities.
Bhuria alleged that Sai, despite receiving support from tribal voters throughout his political career, had “denied their very existence” by failing to extend greetings to the community on Tribal Day.
Bhuria was in Raipur to participate in a meeting of the Adivasi Congress executive committee and the Tribal Advisory Council at Rajiv Bhawan.
He demanded that Sai apologise to the tribal community, while also raising the issue of reservation.
Bhuria said reservation should continue until equality was achieved for tribal and other historically disadvantaged communities in social, economic, educational and mental spheres.
He argued that the reservation system was introduced as a measure to address historical injustice and caste-based discrimination and could not be done away with while such discrimination continued.
The exchange comes amid a broader political contest between the BJP and Congress in Chhattisgarh over their respective approaches towards tribal welfare, representation and affirmative action.