New Delhi: The Jharkhand state chief of the Janta Dal (United) (JDU) Salkhan Murmu has said that if the Central government doesn’t approve the resolution passed in the state assembly in favour of a Sarna code, he will organise a nationwide chakka jam on December 6.
“It has been a longstanding demand of tribal communities across the country to be recognised as a separate religious group and now that a resolution has been passed in the state assembly, the Central government should accept it,” Murmu told The Wire.
On November 11, during a one-day special session of the state assembly, a resolution was passed for the provision of a separate ‘Sarna Code’ for members of tribal communities. The resolution was tabled by chief minister Hemant Soren leading to its unanimous passage by a voice vote in the assembly. If approved by the central government, the upcoming census in 2021 will have a separate column for the community, allowing members of these communities to identify themselves as belonging to a distinct religious community.
Notably, the JDU is an ally in the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre and contested the recently concluded Bihar assembly polls with the BJP. However, the party had contested the Jharkhand assembly polls separately last year. “We will be taking out a symbolic motorcycle rally in the state capital on Tuesday to press our demand,” said Murmu and added, “we are prepared for a long struggle and the party leadership is aware of it.”
When asked what the need was to organise a protest given his party was a part of the central government, the JDU state chief said, “As far as demands of the tribals are concerned there is not much difference between approach and attitude of Congress and the BJP. They don’t take tribals seriously and that’s why we need to do this,” Murmu told The Wire. He further said that it is also required because of their letter sent to the central government and BJP national leadership last month was yet to receive any positive response.
Also read: Why the Sarna Code Will Have a Long-Term Impact on Jharkhand’s Tribes
Murmu is also the national president of a tribal group, Adivasi Sengel Abhiyan (ASA), which is claims to have a presence in at least five states namely Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Bihar. Previously, he had written letters to the President of India, the Union home minister, national presidents of the BJP and the Congress, apart from chief ministers of the above-mentioned states and several others, demanding the urgent recognition of tribals as a distinct religious group.
“When the resolution has been already passed in the assembly unanimously then why don’t the Mahagatbandhan and NDA come together and fulfil the long-pending demand for a separate religion code for tribals,” he asked. According to the JDU state chief, the state government and other political parties of Jharkhand have to come together and they must continue protesting until the central government accepts the resolution. “Otherwise, it will meet the same fate as to what has happened with Lingayats in Karnataka,” he added.
In December 2018, the Central government had rejected the Karnataka government’s proposal seeking legal recognition for Lingayats as a distinct religion.
Former chief minister and BJP’s leader in the assembly Babulal Marandi said that the party was not against the demand. “We did not even oppose the resolution in the assembly but what one needs to understand is that there is a process for everything and we can’t surpass that,” Marandi told The Wire. When asked about Murmu’s protest he said, “this is his democratic right and he is free to do that. As far as the BJP is concerned, we are not opposing the demand.” On the question of the opposition of the Sarna Code by Hindutva organisations, Marandi said, “It is their decision. We have nothing to do with them”.
Ever since the resolution was passed in the assembly, several Hindutva organisations have opposed the move and have called it a big conspiracy by the Churches (Christian organisations). On Saturday, Akhil Bhartiya Sant Samiti wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reject the resolution, alleging that it was an attempt to misguide tribals and lead them astray from the Sanatan Hindu religion. Claiming that the move was a threat to the nation’s integrity and sovereignty, the Samiti’s national general secretary Jeetendranand Saraswati said, “where ever in the country there is a decline of Hindu population there is an increase in separatism, terrorism and Urban Naxal activities.”
Meanwhile, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya has said that a party delegation will meet the Lok Sabha speaker with a demand that a similar resolution be tabled and passed in the next session of the lower house. The working president of Jharkhand Congress Rajesh Thakur has also said that his party will pressurise the central government into implementing the Sarna Code.