Tribals ignored under BJP rule: Rahul Gandhi

RAIPUR: English education has emerged as a key talk point in the election campaign across the tribal belts of Chhattisgarh, with the Congress and the BJP articulating contrary views on the subject. Both the parties are keen to link English with the future of the tribal communities.

Addressing two public rallies in Jashpur and Ambikapur, ahead of the second phase of polling on Wednesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi slammed  BJP and accused it of discouraging tribals to learn English while they send their own children to English medium schools.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his recent public meetings in Chhattisgarh, had declared that the courses on MBBS and engineering will be taught in mother tongue Hindi if BJP forms the government. “Why should students from remote areas be left behind owing to the English language?” Modi asked.

Rahul countered him, saying that the BJP talks about Hindi as the most essential and undermines the importance of regional Chhattisgarhiya dialect and English. “The Congress government has opened top class English medium schools for the poor students, so that they can dream big,” he reiterated.

He said the BJP does not wish the poor and tribals to dream big for their future. “We hug you (tribal) but the BJP leaders urinate on you (recollecting a video of an old incident of a BJP leader allegedly urinating on a tribal labourer in MP) and snatch your rights,” he said.

Rahul said that Congress, after retaining power in Chhattisgarh, will declare caste-census on the very first day and across the country if the party, along with INDIA alliance, wins the Lok Sabha polls. He criticised the PM for calling himself as belonging to the OBC and in every speech speaking about the OBC welfare but when the Congress demands a caste-based census he then cites there is only caste, the poor.

Differentiating the word ‘vanvasi’ the leaders of saffron party often cites for tribals from the terminology ‘adivasi’ as spoken by Congress for the tribes, he said the BJP insults tribal communities as the expression vanvasi is also an attack on their culture, history and rights.

‘BJP undermines importance of English’
Rahul Gandhi said that the BJP talks about Hindi as the most essential language and undermines the importance of regional Chhattisgarhiya dialect and English.