Perturbed by the way some of the Congress leaders claimed that ‘tribes are not Hindu’, the Opposition BJP has castigated the grand old party for its ‘ideological decline’ which rejects broader concepts of Hinduism.

Accusing Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel of trying to ‘divide Hindus’, Vikas Markam, chief of BJP tribal wing, said this is why his minister, Kawasi Lakhma, openly claims that ‘tribals are not Hindus’ and demands a separate religious code for tribes.

Terming the demand extremely unfortunate, the tribal leader said it reflects on a shameful political compulsion to reject the broader concept of Hinduism. “Minister Lakhma has shown his ideological decline by denying the legacy and tradition of his forefathers by worshiping and flattering the feet of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi,” he said.

Claiming that the Congress party has set an agenda in Chhattisgarh to divide Hindus, Markam said Kawasi Lakhma frequently utters such things to promote the agenda. He further claimed that conversion activities have grown exponentially in Bastar under the patronage of the incumbent Congress Government in the state.

Continuing his attack on the government and the missionaries for recent ‘attacks’ on tribes, the BJP leader said both have joined hands against the tribals now like they did in Narayanpur where 300-400 people attacked tribals who were defending their age-old practices and traditions, he said. Similar incident took place in the Tokapal area of Jagdalpur.

Markam said that the tribals and other people have gradually woken up to Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s ‘Divide Hindus’ strategy. No matter how hard the Congress, Chief Minister Baghel and his ministers try, they simply cannot destroy the tribal civilization and culture, nor can they divide Hindus.

No matter what deity they believe in, whether they live in the plains or in the forests, we all living in India are Hindus and are one, the tribal leader declared in no uncertain terms adding that the Congress conspiracy to divide Hindus and destroy the civilization and culture of tribals under the guise of a deadly agenda of religious conversion will never be allowed to succeed.