Rahul hits back at BJP amid 'blank book' row; vows to protect tribals

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will protect the rights of tribals, Dalits and other backward classes (OBCs) and ensure they get opportunity in power and government in proportion to their population by conducting caste-based survey and removing the 50% cap on reservation, Congress lawmaker Rahul Gandhi said on Thursday.

- Saurabha Kulshreshtha

Addressing a rally at tribal-dominated Nandurbar in north Maharashtra, Gandhi hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP for referring to the book he has been displaying during rallies as "blank book", saying the PM thinks that the Constitution of India is "blank" because he has never read it.

The Congress leader alleged that BJP and RSS insult tribals by referring to them as "vanvasi" (forest-dwellers) instead of adivasi. "Adivasis are the first owners of the country and have the first right on 'jal, jungle and zameen' (water, forest and land)," he said.