{"id":671213,"date":"2026-11-15T13:17:51","date_gmt":"2026-11-15T17:17:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/671213\/"},"modified":"2026-11-15T13:17:51","modified_gmt":"2026-11-15T17:17:51","slug":"rahul-gandhis-absence-at-birsa-mundas-birth-anniversary-sparks-bjps-sharp-criticism-against-congress-alleging-disregard-for-tribal-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/671213\/","title":{"rendered":"Rahul Gandhi\u2019s Absence at Birsa Munda\u2019s Birth Anniversary Sparks BJP\u2019s Sharp Criticism Against Congress, Alleging Disregard for Tribal Community"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Rahul<\/figure>\n

New Delhi: Political controversy has intensified over Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi\u2019s absence at the memorial ceremony held in the Parliament complex commemorating the 141st birth anniversary of freedom fighter and legendary tribal leader Bhagwan Birsa Munda. The BJP has strongly criticized Rahul Gandhi and the Congress leadership for not participating, alleging that this reflects Congress\u2019s true attitude towards the tribal community. BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari has vocally accused Rahul Gandhi and the Congress leadership, asserting that Congress leaders\u2019 withdrawal from a ceremony honoring Birsa Munda\u2014who fought for India\u2019s independence and tribal rights\u2014is not coincidental, but a manifestation of the party\u2019s disregard for the tribal community.<\/p>\n

Birsa Munda\u2019s birthday, November 15, is observed nationwide as 'Janajatiya Gaurav Diwas' or Tribal Pride Day to commemorate the history, culture, and contributions of the tribal community in the independence struggle. The special ceremony organized in the Parliament complex provided an opportunity for the country\u2019s prominent political leaders to pay tribute to Birsa Munda. However, Rahul Gandhi\u2019s absence from the event has become a focal point of BJP\u2019s political criticism.<\/p>\n

BJP alleges that Rahul Gandhi\u2019s non-participation in a ceremony honoring Birsa Munda\u2014the symbol of tribal pride and valor\u2014amounts to disrespect toward the tribal community. Despite Congress\u2019s continuous rhetoric on constitutional values and social justice, Pradeep Bhandari criticized the party\u2019s unwillingness to honor their great tribal leader on such a significant day. He charged that the Congress leadership lacks genuine respect for the tribal and forest-dwelling communities.<\/p>\n

Calling the Congress leadership\u2019s absence at this nationally significant event proof of their mindset, Bhandari said their public assertions about protecting tribal rights ring hollow when they refuse to attend ceremonies connected to the community\u2019s pride. He labeled this conduct political duplicity and argued Rahul Gandhi\u2019s absence cannot be regarded as an individual decision but is part of the overall stance of the Congress leadership.<\/p>\n

Questioning Rahul Gandhi\u2019s political priorities, Bhandari alleged that while Rahul Gandhi finds time for meetings with individuals linked to foreign agendas, he did not have time to attend the ceremony honoring Birsa Munda, a national symbol of tribal pride. He emphasized that all political parties bear the responsibility of honoring tribal leaders who played crucial roles in the country\u2019s freedom struggle and urged that such events symbolizing national unity and social respect be viewed beyond political differences.<\/p>\n

Bhandari also criticized former Congress President Sonia Gandhi, linking her past remarks about President Draupadi Murmu\u2014a tribal woman holding India\u2019s highest constitutional office\u2014with the Congress leadership\u2019s controversial approach toward tribal representation. He argued that the history of strained relations between the Congress leadership and the tribal community\u2019s highest dignitaries underpins the present incident.<\/p>\n

Extending the critique to the Gandhi-Vadra family, Bhandari accused the Congress leadership of prioritizing family politics and nepotism over the pride of the tribal community. He also alleged that besides Rahul Gandhi, senior Congress leaders were advised to boycott the ceremony, which, if accurate, necessitates a clear explanation from the party leadership for their collective absence from the nationally significant event.<\/p>\n

Further criticizing the Congress, Bhandari highlighted the party\u2019s inconsistency in advocating constitutional protection and social justice publicly, yet distancing itself from ceremonies honoring constitutional architect Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda. He urged Congress to demonstrate an equal commitment to honoring historical icons of socially backward communities, asserting that such incidents expose the Congress leadership\u2019s narrow approach toward the tribal community.<\/p>\n

Born on November 15, 1875, in Ulihatu (modern-day Jharkhand), Birsa Munda led a vigorous struggle against British colonial rule and exploitative systems that dispossessed tribal people of land and livelihoods. He was a principal leader of the tribal uprising known as 'Ulgulan'. His leadership arose against the backdrop of British land policies, exploitation, and the crisis imposed on tribal traditional lifestyles. Birsa Munda, revered by followers as 'Dharti Aab' (Father of the Land), died in British custody at the age of 25 on June 9, 1900. His life and ideals remain potent symbols of the fight for tribal rights.<\/p>\n

Since 2021, the Union government has commemorated November 15 as Janajatiya Gaurav Diwas to honor Birsa Munda\u2019s legacy and the historical contributions of the tribal community. This year\u2019s political exchanges surrounding Rahul Gandhi\u2019s absence at the birth anniversary event have escalated tensions, with BJP weaponizing the absence against Congress and accusing the party of ignoring tribal pride.<\/p>\n

The controversy has thus opened a fresh political confrontation between Congress and BJP. The explanations from Congress regarding the reasons behind Rahul Gandhi\u2019s absence and responses to BJP\u2019s allegations remain pivotal in this ongoing debate.<\/p>\n

n<\/p>\n

Original Malayalam report: Malayalam Daily News<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New Delhi: Political controversy has intensified over Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi\u2019s absence at the memorial ceremony held in the Parliament complex commemorating the 141st birth anniversary of freedom fighter and legendary tribal leader Bhagwan Birsa Munda. The BJP has strongly criticized Rahul Gandhi and the Congress leadership for not participating, alleging that this reflects Congress\u2019s true attitude towards the tribal community. BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari has vocally accused Rahul Gandhi and the Congress leadership, asserting that Congress leaders\u2019 withdrawal from a ceremony honoring Birsa Munda\u2014who fought for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":671214,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[582,170397,47748],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-671213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english","category-india","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/671213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=671213"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/671213\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/671214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=671213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=671213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=671213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}