'We came to hear PM Vajpayee speak'

RANCHI: Was it Vajpayee’s speech or a hope to hear some announcements about the proposed development plans for their region that brought them here?
Most of the people gathered here on Sunday at the Virat Vanvasi Sammelan on Sunday claimed they were ‘adivasis’ and not ‘vanvasis’and it was their sheer curiosity to hear Vajpayee which brought them to the sammelan.
“The adivasis are certainly at a higher pedestal in society than compared to “vanvasis�, who till recently were living in forests,� said Motilal Murmu from Girdih. For instance, Bir and Hor tribes are ‘vanvasis’ and we do not enter into a relationship with them. Anil Munda, an adivasi from Tamar said marriage is unthinkable between an ‘adivasi’ and ‘vanvasi’.
“I came to the sammelan as the rural development minister, Chandramohan Prasad, asked us to be here and we obeyed his order,� said Motilal.
However, for Anil Munda it was a free ticket to the capital, which brought him here. On the other hand, Kalicharan, another adivasi from Chavaldoha, said he came to hear Vajpayee. “Though we are not vanvasis, Vajpayee’s visit was enough to bring us here. Moreover, the Centre is doing a lot for the development of our region such as distributing free medicines and teaching us. We feel that it is our duty to be present here,� he said.
When asked, why not an adivasi sammelan instead of vanvasi sammelan to a member of Sangh Pariwar, he said, “this is because the Sangh Pariwar believes that sarnas, adivaisis and vanvasis are one and the same. All of them believe in one ‘Joharsthala’ and everyone worship it. As such there is no difference among them.�