World Tribal Day snub: Congress walks out Madhya Pradesh Assembly

Bhopal: Congress MLAs walked out of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly on Monday (August 9) after their demand to declare 'World Tribal Day' a government holiday was not accepted by the Speaker who said the matter would be discussed later.

They said the previous Congress government in the state under Kamal Nath had declared August 9, which is celebrated as World Tribal Day, a government holiday but the BJP government that took over in March last year scrapped the move.

As the House assembled on the first day of the monsoon session to pay tribute to departed leaders and noted personalities, Leader of Opposition Nath demanded that it be declared a holiday and all blocks in the state be provided Rs 1 lakh each to celebrate the occasion, with several Congress legislators rushing to the Well and also raising slogans against the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government.

Speaker Girish Gautam urged Congress MLAs to go back to their seats, stating that the issue would be taken up after tributes are paid to departed souls as is the tradition of the House.

However, in protest against the demand not being met, Congress MLAs walked out of the Assembly.

While Nath said the state government had scrapped tribal day, Gautam said it hadn't, and CM Chouhan, intervening in the matter, said the Congress was playing politics on the issue of paying tribute to departed souls and added that the state will celebrate the tribal day on November 15, coinciding with the birth anniversary of legendary freedom fighter Birsa Munda.

The occasion of Munda's birth anniversary will be celebrated as Gourav Diwas, Chouhan said in the House.

Later, the CM and Nath paid tribute to track and field legend Milkha Singh and noted environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna.

The Assembly also paid tribute to sitting MLAs who died recently, including former minister Brajendra Singh Rathore, Jugal Kishore Bagri and Kalavati Bhuria, as well as former legislators like ex-minister Mahesh Joshi and former MPs Surajbhanu Solanki and Rameshwar Patidar, and those who died in the second wave of COVID-19 and victims of the Naxal blast in Dantewada in neighbouring Chhattisgarh.

After a two-minute silence was observed by legislators, the House was adjourned for the day by the speaker.

Later, talking to reporters in front of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the Assembly premises, Nath said the BJP government in MP had insulted tribal communities by scrapping the August 9 holiday declared by the previous Congress government.

He said tribals did not hanker after contracts and commission, but sough self-respect, adding that such moves by the BJP government displayed "tremendous disrespect" to the 2.5 crore tribals in the state.
"We have sent Rs 1 lakh to each block in the state for celebrating this day as it is World Tribal Day. And not just of Madhya Pradesh," he added.

Meanwhile, state Home and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narottam Mishra hit out at the Congress for walking out of the Assembly during the time when tributes had to be paid to departed souls.

"It is against the traditions and rules of the House. Congress indulges in politics even when it comes to paying tributes. The speaker had assured them the matter would be taken up after tributes are paid, but the Congress refused to listen," Mishra said. 

(With agency inputs)