Jhabua (MP): Claiming that the tribal community has negated the Congress that always viewed the former only as a vote bank, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday made an oblique assault on the Nehru-Gandhi family by alleging that the “Nana, Dadi, Pita and all others staged the drama of feigning affection for adivasis.”
Addressing his final public meeting vis-à-vis election-bound Madhya Pradesh in this tribal-dominated district, the visiting dignitary averred, “As long as the Congress held the Centre’s reins, reports of starvation were received from adivasi and backward areas. Pictures of malnourished children were commonplace.
Congress bigwigs went to poverty-stricken people’s dwellings, had photographs clicked and then conveniently forgot the burning issue. This is the Congress mentality that marginalised our tribal brothers and sisters for decades together.”
In an informal and conversational style, the Prime Minister provided an interesting example to drive home his point.
“What would happen in Congress tenures? They approached the adivasi and said that the government has prepared a scheme for you to obtain a bank loan that you may utilise for purchasing hens whose eggs you may sell and thus financially buttress yourselves. The hapless tribesman would fall into the trap. That very evening, an official vehicle sporting a red beacon would halt in front of the hut,” Mr Modi narrated.
“How are you, the hen looks great,” the personage would say.
“Sir, where are you coming from?” the adivasi asked.
“Dusk has fallen so I thought I’ll stay the night here,” the visitor responded.
“Sir, please have food,” the tribesman said.
The Prime Minister continued, “A hen would be slaughtered that very night. A week later, another leader or bureaucrat arrived and two more hens lost their lives even before a solitary egg was hatched. The tribesman thus became a debtor and this deceitful game went on and on.” (UNI)
