Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday condemned the Modi government's approach to Adivasi rights, marking the 150th birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda, a prominent tribal leader and advocate for social justice.

In a statement issued on Friday, Ramesh accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government of paying mere "lip service" to the cause of Adivasis while undermining their rights. He specifically highlighted the government's Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA), named after Birsa Munda, calling it a "mockery" of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) of 2006. The FRA, passed under the leadership of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, was hailed as a revolutionary law that transferred forest governance powers from the Forest Department to local Gram Sabhas, thus empowering tribal communities to manage and oversee their forest resources.