Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and his predecessor and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel have joined the debate over whether members of tribal communities were practising Hindus.
While Mr. Sai, speaking at a religious event on Sunday (April 20, 2025), asserted that tribals were the biggest Hindus, Mr. Bagel, rebutting the claim, said the Chief Minister should read the Constitution.
Speaking at the Dharma Raksha Mahayagya and Sanatan Sanskriti Sammelan in Raipur, the Chief Minister said that in the tribal areas of the State, there was a culture of worshiping symbols in the form of Hindu deities Shiva and Parvati.
“…We the adivasis are the biggest Hindus who not from today but since ancient times are worshipping [symbols] in the form of Mahadev and Parvati. In the Gond [a tribe]-majority areas, they call [them] Gauri-Gaura, they are also Shiva-Parvati,” he said.
Responding to the statement, Mr. Bagel said that the Constitution granted a special status to the tribals because of which they get the benefit of reservation [in public institutions and political representation].
“Vishnu Deo Saiji is busy calling the tribals Hindus, he should read the Constitution. The tribals have been given a separate status in the Constitution, if that status is abolished then the reservation of the tribals will end. So first decide this, read the Constitution first and then give a statement,” he told presspersons on Monday.
He added that if the tribal community starts writing Hindu then they would stop getting reservation.
As per the 2011 census, the share of tribals in Chhatisgarh’s population was 30.62% with the population concentrated in Sarguja and Bastar regions of North and South Chhattisgarh respectively.
Published – April 22, 2025 04:46 am IST
