PM Modi 'failed' to protect rights of tribals in Chhattisgarh: Congress

The Congress alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “failed” to protect the rights of tribal communities in Chhattisgarh

The Congress on April 8 alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had "failed" to protect the rights of tribal communities in Chhattisgarh and asked whether he will ever meaningfully commit himself to tribal welfare.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed questions to Prime Minister Modi ahead of his rally in Bastar.

"The dealings of the BJP here [Bastar] have shown that their friendship with corporate cronies runs much deeper than their sense of duty to the people," he said.

"We hope that the PM can shed some light on why he has failed to protect the rights of tribal communities in the state," Mr. Ramesh said.

He claimed that the dense, biodiversity-rich Hasdeo Aranya forest, considered the "lungs of the state" are under threat from the BJP and their "favourite crony", Adani Enterprises.

"When the Congress Party was in power, we had 40 coal blocks in this forest cancelled by the Union Coal Ministry to protect the sacred forest. Since the BJP has returned, they have reversed this decision and restarted mining in the Adani-owned Parsa coal block, despite fierce protests from Adivasi groups and activists," he alleges.

Leaders of the protest point out that the destruction of Hasdeo Aranya would cause irreparable damage to the Adivasi communities livelihood, as well as severe damage to the environment and to wildlife, with a possible worsening of human-elephant conflict, he said.