BJP attacks Congress’s absence at Birsa Munda tribute event in Parliament complex

The BJP terms the Opposition leader’s absence at the ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Divas’ event commemorating the birth anniversary of tribal leader and freedom fighter Birsa Munda as hypocrisy

Published - November 15, 2026 06:10 pm IST - NEW DELHI

President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla watch a tribal dance on Janjatiya Gaurav Divas, commemorating Birsa Munda's 151st birth anniversary at the Parliament House complex, in New Delhi on November 15, 2026. Photo: DPR PMO via ANI

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday (November 15, 2026) criticised the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, for not attending an event commemorating the 151st birth anniversary of tribal leader Bisra Munda, held at the Parliament complex here, while having attended what the party termed an “anti-Bharat summit” in Hyderabad.

President Droupadi Murmu, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid floral tributes to Birsa Munda in the Parliament complex on the occasion of the freedom fighter’s 151st birth anniversary, celebrated as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Divas’.

The BJP’s national convenor Ashish Usha Agarwal posted a picture from the event on social media platform X and questioned Mr. Gandhi’s absence. “Rahul Gandhi and the Congress never miss an opportunity to claim that they are the voice of Adivasis and champions of tribal rights. But where were they today? On Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas, the birth anniversary of Dharti Aaba Bhagwan Birsa Munda, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition, and the Congress were conspicuous by their absence from the parliamentary tribute programme,” Mr. Agarwal said in his post.

“Instead, Rahul Gandhi was busy attending the anti-Bharat Summit in Hyderabad, an event whose proceedings have raised serious questions about its political agenda and discourse on India’s democracy,” Mr. Agarwal added.

He was referring to the ‘Bharat Summit’, an Congress initiative backed by the Telangana government. The BJP has alleged that the invitees included individuals with links to George Soros-backed networks, who were known to make anti-India statements.

“The question to Rahul Gandhi and Congress is simple: Where were the so-called champions of Adivasi rights when the nation was paying tribute to its greatest tribal icon?” Mr. Agarwal said.

The BJP’s Scheduled Tribe Morcha chief Mannalal Rawat also criticised Mr. Gandhi’s absence from the function at the Parliament complex, stating that it exposed the Congress’s hypocrisy. “They keep talking about Adivasis but are nowhere to be found on the day we honour Bhagwan Birsa Munda, who is not just an embodiment of the aspirations of the Adivasis but also a national leader. People are watching everything. This exposes the hypocrisy of the Congress and its leaders on the Adivasi community,” Mr. Rawat said.

Published - November 15, 2026 06:10 pm IST

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