Prime Minister Narendra Modi sharply criticised the Congress party on November 15, 2025, during the 'Janjatiya Gaurav Divas' celebrations in Dediapada, Gujarat, accusing it of abandoning tribal communities for six decades and allowing malnutrition, poor healthcare, broken connectivity, and lack of education to define their "forced identity". Speaking on the 150th birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda, Modi contrasted this neglect with the BJP's post-2014 initiatives, which he said multiplied funding for the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, established dedicated institutions, and elevated Adivasi leaders to national prominence—including President Droupadi Murmu and Chief Ministers like Chhattisgarh's Vishnu Deo Sai, Odisha's Mohan Charan Majhi, and Arunachal Pradesh's Pema Khandu. He framed the BJP's approach as a historic correction, restoring dignity and development to regions long marginalised under previous regimes.

Modi traced the institutional shift to Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure, crediting the former PM with creating the standalone Ministry of Tribal Affairs in 1999—a step Congress never took during its decades in power. He alleged that when the Congress-led UPA returned, the ministry was downgraded to a token department with minimal allocation, stalling progress until the NDA government "increased spending several times over" after 2014. Highlighting tangible outcomes, he pointed to expanded medical facilities in tribal districts to combat sickle cell anaemia, massive investments in sports infrastructure—evidenced by a tribal player's role in India's women's World Cup-winning team—and connectivity projects that have transformed remote hamlets. "Tribal society’s roots extend back to Lord Ram," Modi said, yet their contributions to independence and nation-building were deliberately suppressed to glorify "a few families".

The Prime Minister wove recognition into his narrative, noting that icons like Birsa Munda were rarely commemorated before 2014 but now feature in national curricula and public memory through initiatives like Janjatiya Gaurav Divas. He cited cultural honours such as the Padma Shri for Adivasi painter Paresh Rathwa and the construction of tribal museums, asserting that the BJP has moved beyond welfare to empowerment—positioning Adivasis not as beneficiaries but as leaders shaping India's future. In Gujarat, Modi inaugurated development projects worth over INR 9,700 crore in Narmada district, including roads, irrigation schemes, and healthcare units, while earlier reviewing the bullet train station in Surat, part of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor. These actions, he said, reflect a commitment to inclusive growth absent in prior administrations.

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Modi's address, delivered amid a sea of traditional attire and rhythmic tribal drums, blended political critique with cultural reverence, framing the Congress era as one of deliberate exclusion and the BJP's decade as a renaissance for Adivasi pride. As tribal voters increasingly influence outcomes in states like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Jharkhand, the speech doubled as an electoral pitch—reinforcing the narrative of empowerment ahead of future polls while honouring Birsa Munda's legacy of resistance against colonial oppression. With tribal representation at its highest in Parliament and state assemblies, the event underscored a broader shift: from historical erasure to celebrated centrality in India's developmental story.

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