Chhattisgarh CM says Adivasis are ‘biggest Hindus’, Congress leader urges him to ‘read Constitution’
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Sunday said that Adivasis have been “the biggest Hindus” since ancient times, leading to a sharp reaction from his predecessor Bhupesh Baghel, The Hindu reported.
At a religious event in Raipur, Sai said that in Adivasi-dominated areas of Chhattisgarh, worshipping symbols in the form of Hindu deities Shiva and Parvati was a part of local culture.
“...We the Adivasis are the biggest Hindus who not from today but since ancient times are worshipping [symbols] in the form of Mahadev and Parvati,” the BJP leader said. “In the Gond-majority areas, they call [them] Gauri-Gaura, they are also Shiva-Parvati.”
In response, Sai’s predecessor and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel asked him to read the Constitution. Baghel said that Adivasis will stop getting reservation benefits if they identify themselves as Hindus on official documents.
“Adivasis have been given a separate status as per the Constitution,” Baghel said. “If that status is abolished, then the reservation for them will also end. So he [Sai] should first decide this, read the Constitution and only then give a statement.”