The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, visited Ulihatu village in Jharkhand this morning (November 15, 2022) on the Janjatiya Gaurav Divas and paid her respects before the statue of Bhagwan Birsa Munda.

Subsequently, the President landed at Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh where she addressed a Janjatiya Samagam.

Addressing the gathering, the President greeted the fellow citizens on the occasion of Janjatiya Gaurav Divas.  She said that Madhya Pradesh has the largest tribal population in the country. Therefore, organising this Samagam in the state is appropriate.

The President said that the spirit of sacrificing everything in the interest of justice has been the speciality of the tribal society. In our freedom struggle, different ideologies and activities have played important role. The history of freedom struggle also includes several streams of struggles by the tribal communities. Many great personalities like Bhagwan Birsa Munda and Sidhu-Kanhu of Jharkhand, Tantia Bhil and Bhima Nayak of Madhya Pradesh, Alluri Sitarama Raju of Andhra Pradesh, Rani Gaidinliu of Manipur and  Saheed Laxman Nayak of Odisha have enhanced tribal pride and also amplified the pride of the country. Many revolutionary warriors of Madhya Pradesh include Kishore Singh, Khajya Nayak, Rani Phool Kunwar, Sitaram Kanwar, Mahua Kol, Shankar Shah and Raghunath Shah. Revered as the ‘Gandhi of Chhindwara’, Shri Badal Bhoi had chosen the path of non-violence for the freedom struggle. The President paid her tributes to all such freedom fighters. 

The President said that tribal communities have been instrumental in enriching the cultural heritage of Chambal, Malwa, Bundelkhand, Baghelkhand and Mahakoshal regions of Madhya Pradesh. She expressed confidence that this region, once full of prosperity during the reign of the tribal kings, will once again write impressive tales of modern development.