BHAWANIPATNA: Back in Odisha within a fortnight, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday attacked the Centre and state government for allegedly neglecting the backward and tribal-dominated Koraput-Balangir-Kalahandi (KBK) region. Addressing a public gathering at Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district , Rahul reminded them of his support to the primitive tribes of Niyamgiri hills in their fight against bauxite mining while criticising the Narendra Modi government for scrapping two projects meant for the region, both of whom were launched by previous Congress governments at the Centre."Our party had launched both the schemes for overall development of tribals in Odisha. Congress always accorded special care and attention to tribals and took steps to protect their forest rights, land and water. But the Modi government snatched all your rights and destroyed the tribal welfare projects and policies launched during UPA rule," Rahul said while addressing a gathering of around 30,000 with the picturesque hills serving as a backdrop along the Bhawanipatna-Junagarh road.In August 18, 1995, former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao had launched a long-term action plan for KBK to alleviate hunger and usher in development. In 2006-07, the UPA-I government at the Centre had introduced the Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF) in 20 backward districts, including the KBK region, for overall development. Both projects were terminated in the 2015-16 Union Budget.The KBK region comprises districts of Koraput, Nabarangpur, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Sonepur, Balangir, Kalahandi and Nuapada and is considered a backward area in the state. Tribals constitute about 22 per cent of the state's nearly 4.5 crore population with the majority concentrated in the KBK region. In the 147-member Odisha assembly, 34 are reserved for candidates from Scheduled Tribes (ST), with at least 13 tribal seats falling in the eight districts of KBK region. Rahul also criticised chief minister Naveen Patnaik for doing little to alleviate poverty, generate employment opportunities, improve healthcare and education system in the backward districts even as he raised the issue of Dana Majhi, who had to walk nearly 10 km with his wife's body on his shoulder in the absence of an ambulance in 2016.The Congress president, who tried to strike an emotional chord with locals by invoking reigning goddess Maa Manikeswari, said he would stand by the tribals and protect their rights just as he had stood by them during their fight against Vedanta. Rahul was acompanied by Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, who came down heavily on Modi for allegedly neglecting farmers. Some of the tribals had come from interior areas of the district with a hope they could meet Rahul and apprise him of their problems. "I am not a supporter of any party. In our area we struggle to get water, electricity and healthcare," said 71-year-old Kirtan Harijan from Jaipatna area of Kalahandi district.Bhajaman Bag, another tribal, who ekes out a living by selling fruits in Bhawanipatna, rued lack of development activities in the hinterland. "We hardly see implementation of the schemes announced by leaders of different parties," Bag said.

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