New Delhi: The World Indigenous People’s Day that is celebrated on August 9 has ‘no relevance’ to India as all Indians including tribals are indigenous to India, the Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram which is affiliated to the RSS has said.
In a statement issued on Wednesday (August 7), the ashram’s president Satyendra Singh has said that the UN’s declaration to observe August 9 as the World Indigenous People’s Day was meant to extend the rights and self-respect to “struggling” indigenous people living in other continents and countries such as America, Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, reported the Press Trust of India.
“So far as Bharat is concerned, this day has either no relevance or no direct connection as all people of our country are indigenous to this land and we are now free from the clutches of colonial forces,” said Singh.
In his statement, Singh alleged that a “conspiracy” is being hatched by external forces and Christian missionaries to divide the society in the name of World Indigenous People’s Day.
“Unfortunately, some organisations working among janjati (tribal) communities have also started observing the day as ‘Adivasi Diwas’. Youths are being motivated against the true spirit of the day and a sense of separatism is getting rooted among them,” said Singh, reported PTI.
