NEW DELHI: Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge launched an attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government with regard to tribal welfare in the country.
Kharge alleged that the Prime Minister's recent attention to tribal welfare is in the run-up to the elections and questioned the increased rate of crimes against tribals compared to 2013.
He also emphasised the alleged failure of BJP's 'double-engine government' in implementing the Forest Rights Act, 2006 quoting the parliamentary committee.
Kharge posed three probing questions to the government, seeking accountability on key issues affecting tribal communities. "When the elections are on, the Prime Minister has remembered the welfare of tribals and tribes today, after 10 years," Kharge said in a post on X
"We want to ask 3 questions to Modi government -Why has crime against tribals increased by 48.15% compared to 2013? (NCRB), Why are the double engine governments of BJP completely failing to implement the 'Forest Rights Act, 2006'?, before this event, why was there a continuous decline in the expenditure of the Development Scheme for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) scheme of the Modi government's Ministry of Tribal Affairs? It has fallen from Rs 250 crore in the year 2018-19 Rs to only Rs 6.48 crore in the year 2022-23 Rs This is what the parliamentary committee says," he said.
The Congress chief further accused the Modi government of attempting to deceive the tribal community during the election season by renaming an allegedly failed scheme.
He stressed the Congress party's commitment to fighting for the rights of the tribal society, emphasizing the duty to preserve water, forest, land, and tribal civilization.
"Modi government is trying to cheat the tribal community during the election season by changing the name of the old failed scheme," he mentioned in the post.
"Preservation of water, forest, land and tribal civilization is our duty and the Congress Party will continue to fight for the rights of the tribal society of the country," Kharge added.