Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said tribal leader Birsa Munda fought against the British but nowadays his ideology is being attacked by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Congress MP attended Tribal Convention during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Hingoli on the occasion of Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas.
Speaking at the Convention, Rahul Gandhi said, "Birsa Munda fought against the British. When he was only 24 years old the British killed him. He did everything in his 24 years. Birsa Munda's ideology is being attacked by RSS and BJP. They have (BJP) deep strategy behind changing the name of tribal people from 'Adivasi' to 'Vanvasi', and with this, they have seized many rights of them."
Rahul Gandhi further alleged that the BJP government is continuously misusing the Constitution.
"Constitution was written by Dr Ambedkar and under the Congress government. At that time BJP said we don't want the constitution and now they are continuously misusing the constitution," said he said.
He further claimed that Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar he used to take pension from Britisher and worked against Congress.
"In Andaman jail, Savarkar wrote a letter and told the British to forgive him and release him from jail. Veer Savarkar took a pension from the British, he worked against Congress. After coming out of jail he accepted the British proposal and joined their force. The difference between Savarkar and Birsa Munda is, he fought against the British when he was 24 years old," he added.
Birsa Munda, who belonged to the Munda tribe, was born on November 15 in 1875.
During British rule in the late 19th century, he spearheaded an Indian tribal religious Millenarian movement across the tribal belt of modern-day Bihar and Jharkhand.
The birth anniversary of Birsa Munda coincides with the Jharkhand Foundation Day.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi reached Washim district in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region on Tuesday.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra began on September 7 from Kanyakumari. It will end in Kashmir next year.
It is the longest march on foot by any Indian politician in the history of India, the Congress had claimed earlier in a statement.
( With inputs from ANI )
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