Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday criticized the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh over the use of the term ‘Vanvasi’ and claimed that it was coined to deprive tribals of indigenous ownership of water, forests and land which they have owned for centuries.
Addressing the ‘Adivasi Adhikar Samvidhan Sammelan’ in Vadodara, Gandhi reiterated his demand for holding a ‘caste census’, which he said was vital for the tribals to get their share of power and wealth in the country.
He also took aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over India’s trade deal with the US, alleging that the agricultural sector has been opened up to that country, something no prime minister has ever done.
“Adivasi refers to the original owners of India. If you had visited this land 1,000, 2,000 or even 5,000 years ago, you would have found that every inch of the land was in Adivasi hands,” the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha told the gathering.
“Now, in the 21st century, a new term has emerged – a term coined by the RSS and the BJP – ‘Vanvasi’ (forest dweller). ‘Vanvasi’ suggests that you were not the original owner of this land. On the other hand, ‘Adivasi’ suggests that this country belongs to you, and its waters, forests and land are your rightful property,” he insisted.
He said that the term “Vanvasi” indicates that the tribes live only inside the forests. Gandhi asserted that naming Adivasis as Vanvasis is an attack on the Constitution and revered tribal leader Birsa Munda.
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“As one person rightly observed, we are in a fight for the Constitution, which includes a philosophy on inflation that is thousands of years old. The BJP, including Modi, prostrate before statues of Birsa Munda, Ambedkar, Phule and Gandhi; yet, they have failed to protect the very principles that Birsa Munda espoused and the cause for which he sacrificed his life,” he said.
The Constitution embodies the voice of Birsa Munda, and when the BJP attacks that voice by calling tribals “vanvasi” and handing over their water, forests and land to corporations, the party is not just attacking the Constitution, it is launching an attack on Birsa Munda itself, as Gandhi said.
He added that whenever the issue of development comes up, land owned by Adivasis is snatched away, often without paying compensation, as “you are considered to have no rights or entitlements at all.”
Speaking about the Indo-US trade pact, Gandhi said: “No prime minister in the history of India has ever opened up the agricultural sector before. There is a reason for that. Our farms are small, 5 to 10 acres in size. In the US, farms are spread over 1,000, 5,000 or even 10,000 acres. Here, people work manually, and mechanization is limited; there, everything is fully automated.”
Gandhi asserted that if their products flood our markets, it will completely destroy our farmers.
India has opened markets for pulses, soybeans, fruits, cotton etc. and the country is set to purchase commodities worth $9 lakh crore from America over the next five years, the Congress leader pointed out.
“If we buy a commodity worth $9 lakh crore US companies, what will happen to our companies? What will happen to our SMEs? “They reduced taxes on American products to zero, while at the same time increasing taxes on our domestic products.”
Gandhi claimed that the Prime Minister was “in danger”.
Gandhi also said that the BJP and RSS attacked him when he spoke about caste census.
“What exactly does a caste census entail? It means that the entire wealth of the nation is systematically stripped from you. A caste census means ascertaining the actual population of Adivasis and determining their proportionate share within the institutions of the country, including the bureaucracy and the corporate sector.”
Gandhi said that Adivasis constitute 9 per cent of the population, Dalits 15 per cent and backward classes 50 per cent.
“Do you really think that Adivasis currently own 10 per cent of this country’s share? The speeches are long, people fold their hands in reverence in front of the statue of Birsa Munda, and yet, when the moment comes to actually empower the people or distribute the nation’s wealth, they are completely silent,” he said.
Gandhi accepted the need for a formal statement to the tribals, a clear declaration which stated that “we intend to accomplish these specific things for the Adivasis, both within the country and in Gujarat, and we will not rest until we have secured their accomplishment.”
“Adivasis will have to take control of the institutions that the RSS has taken over today. Until your people have access to the bureaucracy, police forces and judiciary, your interests will not be served. The Constitution stands as your protector, and yet these forces are relentlessly bent on dismantling it,” he said.
