Rahul targets RSS, BJP over 'Vanvasi' term for tribals; slams Modi govt on US trade deal

Rahul Gandhi also said the BJP and RSS attack him when he speaks about caste census.

Vadodara: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday targeted the BJP and the RSS over the use of the term 'Vanvasi' and claimed it has been coined to deny tribals original ownership of water, forest and land, which belong to them since centuries.

Addressing the 'Adivasi Adhikar Samvidhan Sammelan' in Vadodara, Gandhi reiterated his demand for a "caste census", which he said, is vital for tribals to get their share in power and wealth of the country.

He also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over India's trade deal with the US alleging that the agricultural sector had been opened up for that nation, something no PM had ever done.

"Adivasi refers to the original owners of India. Had you visited this land 1,000, 2,000, or even 5,000 years ago, you would have found that every single inch of land was in the hands of Adivasis," the Leader of Opposition in the 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). The term 'Vanvasi' implies that you were not the original owners of this land. The term 'Adivasi', on the other hand, signifies that this country belonged to you, that its water, forests, and land were rightfully yours," he insisted.

The term 'Vanvasi' suggests that tribals merely happen to reside within the forests, he said. To call Adivasis as Vanvasis is an attack on the Constitution and revered tribal leader Birsa Munda, Gandhi maintained.

"As someone rightly observed, we are fighting a battle for the Constitution, which encapsulates a philosophy that is thousands of years old. Members of the BJP, including Modi, pay obeisance before the statues of Birsa Munda, Ambedkar, Phule, and Gandhi; yet they fail to protect the very principles Birsa Munda espoused and the cause for which he sacrificed his life," the LoP said.

The Constitution embodies the voice of Birsa Munda, and when the BJP attacks this voice by labelling tribals as 'Vanvasi' and hands over their water, forests, and land to corporates, that party is not merely attacking the Constitution, it is launching an assault on Birsa Munda himself, Gandhi said.

Whenever the subject of development comes up, land belonging to Adivasis is snatched, often without paying compensation as "you are deemed to possess no rights, no entitlements whatsoever", he added.

Speaking about the Indo-US trade deal, Gandhi said, "No Prime Minister in India's history has ever opened up the agricultural sector before. There is a reason for this. Our farms are small, ranging from 5 to 10 acres. In the US, farms span 1,000, 5,000, or even 10,000 acres. Here, people work manually, and mechanisation is limited; over there, everything is fully mechanised." If their produce floods our markets, it will completely ruin our farmers, Gandhi asserted.

India has opened up the markets for pulses, soybean, fruits, and cotton, etc., and the country is set to purchase goods worth Rs 9 lakh crore from America over the next five years, the Congress leader pointed out.

"If we purchase goods worth Rs 9 lakh crores from US companies, what will become of our own companies? What will happen to our SMEs? They have reduced taxes for US products to zero, while simultaneously increasing taxes on our domestic products," he said.

The PM is "compromised", Gandhi claimed.

Gandhi also said the BJP and RSS attack him when he speaks about caste census.

"What, precisely, does a caste census entail? It signifies that the nation's entire wealth is being systematically stripped away from you. A caste census means ascertaining the actual population of Adivasis and determining their proportionate share within the country's institutions, including the bureaucracy and the corporate sector," he said.

Adivasis constitute 9 per cent of the population, Dalits make up 15 per cent and the Backward Classes account for 50 per cent, Gandhi said.

"Do you truly believe Adivasis currently hold 10 per cent share in this country? The speeches are long, people fold their hands in reverence before the statue of Birsa Munda, yet, when the moment arrives to actually empower the people or to distribute the nation's wealth, they fall completely silent," he said.

Gandhi agreed to the need for a manifesto for tribals, a clear declaration stating 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 ensured their realization".

"Adivasis will have to take control of the institutions which RSS have captured today. Until your own people gain entry into the bureaucracy, the police force, and the judiciary, your interests will not be served. The Constitution stands as your protector, yet these forces are relentlessly bent upon dismantling it," he said.