Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) [India], August 9 (ANI): Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Sunday extended his warm wishes to the tribal community on the occasion of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.

In a post shared on X, the YSRCP chief lauded the tribal population for their deep-rooted connection with nature and their commitment to preserving their ancestral heritage.

“To my tribal brothers and sisters, who cherish nature more dearly than their own lives and have passed down their unique culture and traditions as a legacy across generations, warm wishes on International Indigenous Peoples’ Day,” Jagan Mohan Reddy said.

According to the UN, to raise awareness of the needs of these population groups, August 9 commemorates the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, chosen in recognition of the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations held in Geneva in 1982.

Earlier today, Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal also extended greetings to the tribal community on World Tribal Day, also called International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.

However, he alleged that it had faced the “most injustice” over the last 75 years, claiming that its water, forest and land resources had been plundered.

In a video message on the occasion of Adivasi Diwas, Kejriwal said, “In the last 75 years, the most injustice has happened to the tribal community. The country has progressed in the last 75 years; people of all other communities have progressed, but the tribal community has been left behind.”

He alleged that the community had been deliberately kept behind and that its resources had been taken away and given to big companies.

“Why? Because the tribal community was deliberately kept behind. All their resources were plundered. Water, forest, land… these are the birthrights of the tribal community. But these were snatched from the community and given to big companies. Because the leaders of these other parties were thieves, their leaders were corrupt,” Kejriwal said.

Kejriwal claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party was fighting for the rights of the tribal community and that its leaders had been jailed several times while fighting for those rights.

Giving an example of the same, he referred to AAP leader Chaitar Vasava and said, “Chaitar Vasava is your son; Chaitar Vasava is your brother. Don’t know how many times he has gone to jail to get you your rights. These people brought the PESA Act but did not implement the PESA Act. Without asking the community, without asking the Gram Sabha, they take all these decisions. Today Chaitar Vasava is in jail because he is fighting for you. Pray that he comes out soon. Jai Johar,” he said.

Chaitar Vasava is an AAP leader and a prominent tribal leader from Gujarat. (ANI)