Rahul Gandhi to meet tribal leaders

New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will meet the party tribal leaders from across India here on Wednesday.

The leaders include party office bearers, sitting and former legislators, and ministers. The meeting has been scheduled before Mr Gandhi will hold meetings in tribal-dominated areas of the country. Sources say Mr Gandhi wants to make an impact on the tribal population, which is about 9 per cent, of the country.

Earlier this month, Mr Gandhi had addressed a rally in the tribal dominated district of Narmada in Gujarat. He had visited a temple and prayed before the tribal deity.

Mr Gandhi has raised issue of tribal rights many times in the past. The Forest Rights Act enacted by the UPA government was the key legislation that also had the Congress vice-president’s backing.

The law ensures that any land acquisition carried out in rural areas should have approval of a Gram Sabha. In the next two years, three states, Gujarat, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, with sizeable tribal population, will go to polls. And the Congress is heavily relying on the tribal vote. Former tribal affairs minister Kishor Chand Deo will also be present in the meeting to be chaired by Mr Gandhi.

During the meeting, the leaders will chalk out a plan for tribal welfare, including highlighting of the plight of tribals and their challenges. The party would also take up their issues in the upcoming session in Parliament.

Pertinent that during the UPA regime, Mr Gandhi had held several rallies in the tribal belts in Chattisgarh and Odisha.