Bhubaneswar: Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday joined BJP politicians in criticising Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, for his absence during a tribute ceremony for tribal icon Birsa Munda in Parliament on the latter’s 151st birth anniversary.In a post on X, Majhi shared a video of the tribute ceremony and questioned Rahul’s absence from the event. Referring to Rahul as a “self-proclaimed voice of Adivasis”, Majhi accused the Congress MP of failing to show due respect to one of the country’s most revered tribal icons despite frequently speaking about tribal rights and welfare.“While Parliament paid tribute to Bhagwan Birsa Munda on his 151st birth anniversary, Rahul Gandhi, the self-proclaimed voice of Adivasis, was busy in Hyderabad attending the Bharat Summit alongside controversial foreign political figures. For all the speeches, slogans and social media posts claiming to champion Adivasi rights, showing up to honour their greatest icons seems to be a different story,” Majhi wrote.The CM said political messaging on tribal issues must be backed by genuine commitment rather than symbolism. “Perhaps paying lip service is easier than paying tribute,” he said.Majhi added that Adivasi pride deserved more than political optics and required sincere respect for those who fought for the identity, dignity and rights of tribal communities.Earlier in the day, while addressing a function in Malkangiri to mark Munda’s birth anniversary, Majhi also accused the Congress of neglecting tribal icons and communities during its decades in power before 2014.