Remarks of MP Sri Bishi during the Discussion on the 150th Anniversary of the National Song “Vande Mataram

”Delhi. : During the Winter Session of Parliament, Rajya Sabha MP Shri Niranjan Bishi spoke on the special occasion of 150 years of our National Song “Vande Mataram” and the 150th birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda.Shri Bishi said that Bhagwan Birsa Munda is one of India’s greatest icons of tribal identity, resistance, and social reform. At a time when the British imposed harsh forest laws and unjust land policies that displaced tribal communities, Birsa Munda led the historic Ulgulan (The Great Rebellion) to protect the ancestral land, forest rights, and self-governance of Adivasi people.Shri Bishi recalled Birsa Munda’s inspiring message “Abua raj ete jana, maharani raj tundu jana”(“We want our own rule, not the Queen’s rule”) which became a defining call for indigenous rights and self-rule. Shri Bishi noted that Birsa Munda’s movement forced the British to amend exploitative policies and paved the way for the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act, a landmark protection for tribal land rights.The MP also paid tribute to several tribal freedom fighters, including Tilka Manjhi, Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu, Phulo and Jhano, Alluri Sitarama Raju, Komaram Bheem, Laxman Naik, Govind Guru, Tantia Bhil, Narayan Singh, Helen Lepcha, Rani Gaidinliu, and many others who played crucial roles in India’s struggle for independence.Shri Bishi further remembered the Adivasi Zamindar family of Ghes in Western Odisha,Kunjal Singh, Madho Singh, Hate Singh, Airi Singh, Bairi Singh, and Narayan Singh,who sacrificed their lives fighting British oppression. Shri Bishi also mentioned Rendo Majhi of Kalahandi, Chakra Bisoi of Boudh, Veer Surendra Sai of Sambalpur, and Madri Kalo of Sundargarh as towering tribal heroes of Odisha.Shri Bishi said that as Vande Mataram awakened national pride across India, Birsa Munda’s Ulgulan ignited the flame of freedom in tribal regions. Marking these two historic milestones together, Shri Bishi urged for renewed commitment to tribal empowerment, protection of land and forest rights, preservation of indigenous languages and heritage, and strengthening social justice.