Agartala: Union Minister of port, shipping and waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday heaped praises on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving the deserving respect to around 11 crores tribal population of the country by declaring the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda as Janajatiya Gaurav Divas.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has scaled new heights. The country accumulated more strength in terms of social integrity and he has accorded similar respect to people from all the communities. Bhagwan Birsa Munda did not only fight the British empire but he was a social reformer too. He was the first leader who raised a voice against social prejudices like addiction and superstition. He appealed to people to get rid of such malpractices and devote their lives to the services of humanity and God,” the former Assam Chief Minister said.
Taking a swipe at the Congress party, Sonowal said when the Congress was in power, it never took any initiatives to recognize the contributions of leaders like Birsa Munda. “The Congress party or the other governments in the Centre never attempted to recognize the contribution of leaders like Bhagwan Birsa Munda. His life is an inspiration for many. All the Janajati people who have gathered here must understand how the central government has given our identity a facelift. For the first time, a leader from a tribal community has risen to the top post of the country,” he added.
The Union Minister was speaking at the Janajatiya Gaurav Divas observation organized at Ambassa. Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha who also remained present at the function said, “The BJP government in Tripura has taken up a holistic plan for the tribal-dominated region. Be it health, road infrastructure or other basic necessities, our government is working wholeheartedly for the development of tribal-dominated regions. The new national highways approved by the central government are all set to connect the tribal-dominated areas with the mainstream plains.”
In an oblique reference to the 10,323 crisis, Dr Saha said, “Our government is working to deliver. We have seen how political parties have exploited the tribal people and given jobs through a faulty policy. Now things have changed. We believe in transparency,” he added.
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