Union Home Minister Amit Shah will attend as chief guest a large tribal gathering in Delhi on Sunday. The event is organised by the Janjati Suraksha Manch, an RSS-linked group that has campaigned for removing converted tribals from the Scheduled Tribes category.
Called a Janjati Sanskritik Samagam, the gathering at Red Fort grounds marks the 150th birth anniversary of Birsa Munda. Organisers expect over 1.5 lakh participants from more than 500 tribal communities. Five cultural processions will converge at the site before a public meeting addressed by Shah.
The event is presented as a cultural assertion of tribal identity and national unity under the slogan Tu Main Ek Rakt, Vanvasi-Gramvasi-Nagarvasi, Hum Sab Bharatvasi. Participants will wear traditional attire, with volunteers providing accommodation, food, transport and medical support.
The gathering has drawn political criticism, particularly from Jharkhand. The Congress accused the BJP of seeking political gain from tribal mobilisation while weakening tribal rights. Jharkhand Congress president Keshav Mahto Kamlesh called the event a political stunt and cited rising unemployment and threats to tribal rights over resources. Other Congress leaders alleged weakening of the Forest Rights Act and raised demands for a Sarna religion code.
The JSM was formed around 2005-06 to seek delisting of converted Christians from the ST category. Its leadership has ties to the RSS-affiliated Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram. The group has held rallies in central India and the Northeast, alleging that converted tribals retain reservation benefits while accessing minority schemes.
The BJP has not formally adopted delisting as policy, though Sangh-linked groups have promoted related campaigns alongside ghar wapsi efforts and opposition to missionary activity.
