New Delhi, Nov 15 (IANS) President Droupadi Murmu, along with Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders, on Sunday, paid floral tributes to Tribal leader Birsa Munda on his 151st birth anniversary, even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit out at Congress for skipping the ceremony.
The leaders paid homage to the Tribal leader at the Parliament House complex on his birth anniversary, observed as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Divas’.
BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari accused Congress and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi of “hating Tribal heroes” after leaders from the grand old party remained absent.
In a post on ‘X’, Bhandari said: “Rahul Gandhi & Congress hates Tribal Heroes!”
“Rahul Gandhi and entire Gandhi Vadra family skipped paying tribute to Bhagwan Birsa Munda at Parliament!” he added.
Referring to a previous remark made by Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, the BJP leader said, “Recall how in past Sonia Gandhi had called President of India who comes from Tribal background as ‘Poor Lady’!”
Speaking to reporters outside the Parliament after President Murmu’s address to a joint sitting of the House in 2025, Sonia Gandhi said, “The poor lady, the President, was getting very tired by the end…she could hardly speak poor thing.”
Further, Bhandari also lashed out at Rahul Gandhi for the ‘Bharat Summit 2026’, organised by the Congress-led Telangana government.
“Rahul Gandhi has time for attending summit in Hyderabad with George Soros ecosystem, but no time to pay respect to Bhagwan Birsa Munda?” he said.
‘Congress is Anti Tribal!” he remarked.
Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal also paid tributes to Birsa Munda at the Parliament complex.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi extended heartfelt greetings to the people of Jharkhand on their Statehood Day and expressed confidence that they will take it to new heights of development with their resolve and capabilities.
Jharkhand Statehood Day (Jharkhand Sthapna Divas) is observed annually on November 15, marking the day the region was carved out of southern Bihar to become India’s 28th state in 2000 under the Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000.
–IANS
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