Congress Accuses Shivraj Singh Govt of Being Anti-Tribal; War of Words Ensues in MP Assembly

Congress MLAs on Monday disrupted proceedings of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Monsoon Session as soon as it began, accusing the Shivraj Singh government of being anti-tribal.

Opposition MLAs raised the issue of August 9 not being declared a holiday on the occasion of International Day of the World’s Indigenous People (commonly known as Int Tribals’ Day). They stepped into the well of the house and raised slogans against the BJP government before they staged a walkout.

Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan paid tributes to those who died because of Covid-19 and the recent floods, even as the Congress MLAs continued to protest.

As Leader of Opposition Kamal Nath stood up to speak, he referred to the tribals’ issue, drawing sharp criticism from the treasury benches, including Chouhan, who said the Congress was indulging in ‘dirty politics’.

Chouhan and Kamal Nath also had a brief heated exchange, before the speaker stepped in urging Nath to limit his speech to condolences in accordance with the tradition of the House. BJP MLAs accused Nath of ushering in a ‘wrong tradition’ into the House.

To add to that, Nath had claimed that he was paying condolences and also paid tribute to the holiday on August 9.

Chouhan later clarified that the Congress party was misleading the tribals and the holiday on August 9 wasn’t cancelled but it was made optional. He announced that the BJP was a true well-wisher of the tribals and freedom fighter Birsa Munda’s anniversary will be celebrated in grand style.

However, most of the things said in the commotion were deleted by the speaker from the record.

The House was adjourned after paying tribute to various dignitaries.

Chouhan accused the Congress party of disrupting tribal leaders claiming they were planning to pay tributes to several tribal leaders but the opposition tried to mislead the tribal population by shedding crocodile tears. Nov 15 will be observed as Janjati Gaurav Diwas and various plans will be implemented for the tribals, he affirmed.

Reiterating his accusations outside the House, Nath said, “Tribals aren’t hungry for contracts or commission, they just want respect.” The Congress MLAs also staged a protest at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the assembly campus.

Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here.