Bhopal, Nov 11 (IANS): With the Centre's announcement to celebrate 'Janjatiya Gaurav Divas' to mark the birth anniversary of tribal leader and freedom fighter Birsa Munda with a mega event in Bhopal on November 15, political bickering has begun between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on this matter.

Preparations for the mega event at Bhopal's historic Jamburi Maidan are in full swing. The entire ground is being decorated, highlighting the cultural, social values and contribution of the tribal communities especially in the state.

An estimated budget of Rs 13 crore has been sanctioned for the event for which people from tribal communities from across the state will be transported to it's capital, sources told IANS.

"People of tribal communities will be brought to Bhopal. The allocated fund will be spent on transportation, accommodation food, sanitisers, masks etc. The fund has been allocated to each district," said a government official.

It is being alleged that the event is being organised to increase the ruling BJP's vote percentage in the tribal areas in the upcoming assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh in 2023. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to announce nearly a dozen schemes prepared by the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government for tribal communities.

While the state BJP is busy in making the event a grand success, the Congress, which had won 36 assembly seats out of the 47 reserved for Scheduled Tribes in the 2018 elections, has started blaming the Shivraj government for investing a huge amount of money to get votes.

A group of senior Congress leaders on Wednesday opposed the government's plan to organise the 'Janjatiya Gaurav Divas'.

Citing the fire incident in Kamla Nehru hospital, in which five infants died of suffocation, the Congress leaders said, "At the moment when entire Bhopal is in mourning due to loss of innocent children, the BJP government is busy in a mega event," the leaders said at a press conference.

However, the Congress itself has planned a 'Janjatiya Divas' in Jabalpur on the same date (November 15).

Reacting to the allegations, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan slammed the Congress saying former Chief Minister Kamal Nath-led MP Congress could not digest its defeat in the by-polls and is therefore making wrong statements.

"BJP is not worried about it's vote bank. But, the kind of statements coming from the Congress is clear indication that they are worried. Congress ruled the state for several years but did nothing for Janjatiya people, and now when we are doing something for them, they are making false allegations about us," Chouhan said.