Bhubaneswar: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has urged Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to rename Gondwana Chhak in Jharsuguda after great revolutionary Veer Karunakar Singh Naik as a tribute to the legendary leader.
In a letter to the Chief Minister, Dharmendra said tribal and indigenous communities have always been occupying a special place in Odisha’s history as well as social and cultural fabric.
Stating that the evolution of Odia civilisation is unthinkable without including tribal and indigenous communities, the Education and Skill Development Minister said that the people of Odisha always feel proud while recalling the origin of Lord Jagannath. Because of this, those at the helm in the state have always considered tribal people as their own, he said.
Hailing Karunakar Singh Naik as a martyr and valiant leader of the Gond communmity, the senior BJP leader said Gond community has been playing a dominant role in Odisha as well as the entire central India for centuries.
Indians are proud of the bravery and curage shown by valiant leaders such as Durgavati, Birsa Munda, Madho Singh and Veer Surendra Sai, he said.
It will be a fitting tribute to brave revolutionary Karunakar Singh Naik if Gondwana Chhak is renamed after him, Dharmendra said, adding that the people of Jharsuguda and the Gond community will also be honoured if it is declared.
Noting that the dedication of the Gond community in the country’s freedom struggle is always remembered, he said at a time when we are celebrating Amrit Mahotsav of Independence, we are committed to bringing to the fore the bravery and dedication of tribal heroes. “We are fully committed to including such things in all-India syllabus,” Dharmendra said in his letter to the CM.
Earlier at an event at Jharsuguda on February 11, Dharmendra had promised the ‘Akhila Bharatiya Gondwana Gond Mahasabha’ that a proposal would be sent to the state government for renaming the Gondwana Chhak as “Veer Karunakar Singh Naik Chhak”.
