RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Oct.23: Union Tribal Affairs Minister, Arjun Munda, while addressing the inaugural session of two-day ‘National Working Committee meeting of the BJP Scheduled Tribes Morcha’ has questioned the commitment of Jharkhand and West Bengal government for tribal development. He said these states create hurdles in implementation of schemes formulated for tribal development and show non-interest in discussions on tribal issues with the union government.
Munda said despite being a good tribal population in Jharkhand, state’s officers and ministers never found it proper to discuss the issues of tribal development with the union ministry. When the work started for construction of ‘Eklavya Vidyalaya’ under centre sponsored scheme, voices started coming from here that the school should be constructed elsewhere.
“When everyone knows that these schools are to be constructed in selected blocks to benefit the tribal students there, then why should it be shifted to any other place,” Munda questioned, adding that this reflects the mean-minded politics of the state.
He said the same situation is at West Bengal where the government is not providing land for pursuing works for tribal development through Trifed and wants to establish Eklavya Model School. “Delegates have come from the state and they will explain the situation in a better way,” Munda added.
Expressing concern over the low level of politics in this state, union minister Munda roared, “Tribal in the country does not want to progress as a political weapon but want to prosper with self respect and I think this should be resolution of this nation working committee meeting and voice across the country should go from here clear and loud.”
He said over 700 tribal communities from Arunachal Pradesh to Andaman Nicobar in the country have expressed their full confidence in the BJP. “While the number of BJP MPs in the parliament was 27 out of 46 tribal members after the 2014 parliamentary election, it rose to 31 out of 46 in the 2019 parliamentary election,” he said adding, “this is the result that presently as many as eight cabinet ministers in the centre are from tribal communities.”
Munda on the occasion also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president J.P.Nadda for achieving the target of 100 crore vaccinations and asked delegates to give standing ovations to them for this extraordinary achievement.
