PM’s address in ‘Mangarh Dham Ki Gaurav Gatha’ event at Mangarh Hills, Rajasthan

Bharat Mata ki – Jai! Bharat Mata ki – Jai! Hon’ble Chief Minister of Rajasthan Shri Ashok Gehlot ji, Governor of Madhya Pradesh and a very tall leader of tribal society Shri Mangubhai Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shri Shivraj Singh ji Chouhan, my colleagues in the Council of Ministers Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste ji and Shri Arjun Meghwal ji, prominent personalities of various organizations, MPs, MLAs and my old friend and brother Mahesh ji who has dedicated his life in the service of tribal society, and my dear tribal brothers and sisters who have come in large numbers to Mangarh Dham from far and wide! It is a matter of privilege for me that I have once again got the opportunity to bow my head on this holy land of Mangarh. As the Chief Minister, Ashok ji and I have worked together for several years and Ashok ji was the senior most in the company of chief ministers. He continues to be the senior most Chief Minister even now. Ashok ji is also one of the senior Chief Ministers among the people who are sitting on the dais. I thank him for attending this program. Friends, The coming together of all of us to Mangarh Dham in the Amrit Mahotsav of freedom is pleasant as well as inspiring for all of us. Mangarh Dham is a reflection of the austerity and patriotism of the tribal heroes. This is the common heritage of the people of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The day before yesterday, i.e. on 30th October, it was the death anniversary of Govind Guru ji. On behalf of all the countrymen, I once again pay homage to Govind Guru ji. I bow to the struggles, thoughts and ideals of Govind Guru ji. Brothers and sisters, While being the Chief Minister of Gujarat, I had the privilege of serving the region of Mangarh which falls in Gujarat. Govind Guru had also spent the last years of his life there. His energy and teachings are still being felt in this soil. I especially want to bow my head to our Katara Kankamal ji and the community here. The place used to be completely deserted when I used to come earlier. I had made a request to organize ‘Van Mahotsav’. I feel very satisfied today as I can see greenery all around. I heartily congratulate all the friends who have developed the forest here with complete dedication and made this area green again. Friends, When this area was developed and roads were built, not only did the life of the people there improve, the teachings of Govind Guru also expanded. Friends, Govind Guru like other great freedom fighters was the representative of the Indian traditions and ideals. He was not the king of any princely state, but still he was the hero of lakhs of tribal members. He lost his family, but he never lost his courage. He made every tribal, weak, poor and Indian citizen his family. If Govind Guru blew the trumpet of struggle against the British government for its exploitation of the tribal society, he also fought against the evils of his society. He was also a social reformer. He was also a spiritual guru. He was also a saint. He was also a people’s leader. Besides courage and bravery, his philosophical and intellectual thinking was equally lofty. Govind Guru’s reflection and realization continue to be illuminated in Mangarh Dham in the form of his ‘Dhuni’. And look at his ‘Samp Sabha’! How poignant is the word ‘Samp Sabha’! His ideals of ‘Samp Sabha’ are still inspiring unity, love and brotherhood to create a sense of harmony in every section of the society. His ‘Bhagat’ followers continue to carry forward the spirituality of India. Friends, The massacre that took place in Mangarh on 17th November 1913 was the culmination of the brutality of British rule. On the one hand, there were innocent tribal brothers and sisters who believed in freedom, on the other hand, there was the thought of making the world a slave. The British government surrounded more than 1,500 youth, elderly and women and massacred them on the Mangarh Hill. You can imagine, the sin of the heinous murder of more than 1,500 people was committed. Unfortunately, this struggle and sacrifice of the tribal society did not get its due place in the history written after independence. Today the country is trying to correct that flaw in the Amrit Mahotsav of freedom. Today the country is correcting the mistakes made decades ago. Friends, India’s past, India’s history, India’s present and India’s future are not complete without tribal society. Every page of our freedom struggle and history is full of tribal valor. The tribal society had sounded the bugle of the struggle against the foreign rule even before the revolution of 1857. In 1780, much before 1857, armed rebellion occurred in Santhal under the leadership of Tilka Manjhi. In 1830-32, the country witnessed the ‘Larka Movement’ under the leadership of Budhu Bhagat. The flame of independence was lit up here in 1855 in the form of ‘Sidhu Kanhu Revolution’. Similarly, Bhagwan Birsa Munda ignited the flame of revolution among lakhs of tribals. He passed away at a very young age. But his energy, patriotism and courage became the basis of revolutions like ‘Tana Bhagat Andolan’. Friends, From the early centuries of slavery to the 20th century, you will not find any period when tribal society did not hold the torch of the freedom struggle. In Andhra Pradesh, the tribal society under the leadership of Alluri Sitarama Raju Garu gave a new edge to the ‘Rampa Revolution’. And this land of Rajasthan has been a witness to the patriotism of the tribal society long before that. On this land, our tribal brothers and sisters stood shoulder to shoulder with Maharana Pratap. Friends, We are indebted to the sacrifices of the tribal society. We are indebted to their contributions. This society has preserved and cherished nature, environment, culture, traditions and the character of India. Now is the time that the country should thank the tribal society for this debt by serving them for this contribution. This spirit has been fueling our efforts for the past eight years. A few days from today, on November 15, the country will celebrate ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’ (Tribal Pride Day) on the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda. Today special museums dedicated to tribal freedom fighters are being built across the country to bring the past and history of tribal society to the masses. The grand legacy that our generations were deprived of will now become a part of their thinking and inspirations. Brothers and sisters, The expansion and role of tribal society in the country is so huge that we need to work for it with a dedicated spirit. From Rajasthan and Gujarat to Northeast and Odisha, today the country is working with explicit policies to serve the diverse tribal society. Today, the tribal population is being linked with water, electricity, education, health and employment opportunities through ‘Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana’. Today, forest areas are also increasing in the country, forest resources are also being protected, and at the same time tribal areas are also becoming part of Digital India. ‘Eklavya Residential Schools’ are also being opened for tribal youths so that they can get opportunities for modern education along with traditional skills. After this program, I am going to Jambughoda where I will inaugurate the grand administrative campus of the university named after Govind Guru ji. Friends, Now that I am amongst you, I want to tell you one more thing. You must have seen that I got an opportunity to flag off the Ahmedabad-Udaipur train running on a broad gauge line last evening. The conversion of this 300 km long railway line to broad gauge is also very important for our brothers and sisters of Rajasthan. Many tribal areas of Rajasthan will now be connected with the tribal areas of Gujarat. Rajasthan’s tourism will also benefit greatly from this new rail line and it will also help in industrial development here. This will also create new employment opportunities for the youth. Friends, There has also been a discussion about the complete development of Mangarh Dham here. We all have a strong desire for the grand expansion of Mangarh Dham. Therefore, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra need to work together. I urge all the four state governments to have a detailed discussion in this regard and prepare a roadmap so that this memorial site of Govind Guru ji can also leave its mark in the world. I am sure the development of Mangarh Dham will make this region an awakening place of inspiration for the new generation. Since we are holding discussions in this regard for several days, I urge you to identify the area of the site fast. We can develop it further with the support of the Government of India. It can be called a national monument or something else, but there is a direct relationship between the Indian government and the tribal society of these four states. Together these four states and the Government of India have to take it to newer heights. The Government of India is fully committed in that direction. I once again wish you all the very best. I bow to the feet of Govind Guru. Drawing inspiration from his words let us all take a pledge for the welfare of the tribal society. Thanks a lot!