NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Friday demanded that November 15, birthday of legendary tribal leader Birsa Munda, be declared a national holiday.
Addressing a public rally in Nagpur to commemorate the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda, Pawar also said Adivasis should be declared "mool nivasi" or original inhabitants of the country.
Pawar said leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi worked hard to bring about progress in the country while social reformers like Babasaheb Ambedkar and Mahatma Jyotiba Phule created a roadmap for brotherhood and equal rights for all through the Constitution.
"However, it is for us to ponder that one section of society did not get the benefits of freedom. Today, we see that the population living below the poverty line are mostly tribals," Pawar said, and stressed that this scenario needed to change for the better.
He said that the Centre, by declaring November 15 as a national holiday, will bring before the country the immense contribution of Birsa Munda to society and nation.
"If one reads the history of this nation, we will realise that the mool nivasi of this country were tribals, Adivasis. Tribals should be recognised as mool nivasi in the country as well as in the United Nations," he said.
He further said the Forest Act must be followed "100 per cent" and there should be no compromise on it.
Pawar told the gathering that the NCP and Congress will chalk out a programme for the development of tribals and protection of their interests.
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