Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday accused the Congress of not doing anything to preserve the glorious history of tribals, and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi took concrete steps in that direction.
Shah was addressing a public rally at Kadana village in Mahisagar district in support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections. Voting in Mahisagar district will be held in the second phase of the elections on December 5.
"Post-Independence, it was PM Narendra Modi who worked for preserving the pride and legacy of tribals. It was PM Modi who had in 2021 declared that tribal freedom fighter Bhagwan Birsa Muda's anniversary will be celebrated as Adivasi Gaurav Diwas," Shah said.
He said though Munda and many other tribals had played a crucial role in the freedom struggle, they were not given their due credit under the Congress rule.
"Till the Congress was in power, it did not work for preserving the glorious history of tribals. As soon as people made Modi the prime minister, he announced that 10 adivasi museums will be built across the country," the Union minister said.
Referring to the election of Droupadi Murmu, a tribal woman, as the President of India earlier this year, Shah said the Congress never thought of making anybody from the community the country's constitutional head during its 65 year rule.
Shah informed the audience that the BJP government in Gujarat has also paid rich tributes to tribal heroes by creating Birsa Munda Tribal University in Narmada district and Govind Guru University in Godhra town of Panchmahal district.