Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday asked tribals to join active politics in large numbers to ensure their empowerment and help solve long-standing problems.

“More and more tribals should join politics through which they will be able to solve problems being faced by them for ages,” Gandhi said during an interaction with party members at Kotpad in Orissa’s tribal-dominated Koraput district.

A large tribal presence in politics would play a significant role in empowering them effectively and elevating their position in society, he said on the first day of his two-day visit to Orissa.

Tribals as well as dalits could make their voices heard if more people from their communities participate in politics and public life, said Gandhi.

Gandhi, accompanied by AICC’s Orissa in-charge Jagdish Tytler, said Congress provided a platform for common and ordinary youths to move up the ladder even without any political links or influential background.

During the interacton, closed to the media, Gandhi answered a host of queries, the participants later told reporters in Koraput.