Rahul Gandhi To Tribals In Poll-Bound Jharkhand: BJP Wants To Snatch Your ‘Jal, Jungle, Jameen’

Speaking at a rally in Poll-bound Jharkhand, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP on Friday of attempting to take away "Jal, Jungle, Jameen" (water, forest, land) from the state's tribal population.

"PM Modi calls you 'vanvasi' (forest dwellers) because the BJP believes that the land, forest, and water belong to it, the RSS, and capitalists. It justifies taking tribal land under the guise of so-called 'development'. It wants to snatch 'Jal, Jungle, Jameen' from you," he said at a rally in Simdega.

Photo Credit: PTI

Gandhi, who has frequently claimed that the Constitution is under "constant attack" from the BJP, repeated this assertion, adding that the Congress-led INDIA bloc was committed to making "all efforts" to "protect" the Constitution.

He also pledged to lift the current 50% cap on reservations.

"The Constitution is under constant attack, and it needs to be protected. We will remove the 50% reservation cap at any cost. If voted to power, we will increase the reservation for Scheduled Tribes from 26% to 28%; for Scheduled Castes, from 10% to 12%; and for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), from 14% to 27%," the Rae Bareli MP announced.

On the subject of a caste census, which he has frequently highlighted, Gandhi reiterated its necessity, saying it was "a must" to understand the representation of tribals, Dalits, and OBCs within institutions and across the country's wealth.

The former Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha is visiting Jharkhand for the second time since the election schedule was announced.

Polling will take place on November 13 and 20, with votes to be counted on November 23.