The Jharkhand Assembly on Wednesday unanimously passed separate religion code for Adivasi Sarna after making amendments in the proposal moved by the State Government. The Opposition BJP and Congress legislator from Mandar, Bandhu Tirkey at the Special Assembly session demanded amendments in the code Adivasi/Sarna to Adivasi Sarna, which the government accepted.
The proposal after getting passed at Jharkhand Assembly’s special session will be sent to Centre for final nod, so that a separate Adivasi Sarna column can be included in the census 2021. Earlier, tabling the Adivasi/Sarna religious code in the Assembly, Chief Minister Hemant Soren highlighted the need for separate religious code for Adivasi/Sarna tribals who are nature worshippers and shrinking population of Adivasi in Country.
Soren said the passage of separate religious code Adivasi/Sarna will send a good message to the entire country. He said, “When rising pollution is cause of concern and people are looking towards nature going by ways to conserve the environment, the Adivasis are nature worshipers since time immemorial. However, despite being nature worshippers, the shrinking population of Adivasi is cause of concern.”
Soren said, “In past eight decades the Adivasi population has come down from 38.03 per cent in 1931 to 26.02 per cent in 2011. During this period there has been a decline of 12 per cent in tribal population, which is a cause of concern as other religious category population has increased in this period.”
The Chief Minister claimed that the decline in Adivasi population has adversely affected the schemes meant for tribals under the fifth schedule of the Constitution. “The criterion of reserving posts for tribals in panchayats is solely on the basis of population of tribals,” added Soren. The chief minister highlighting the advantage of separate religious code for Adivasi Sarna, said that with the separate religious code the actual population of Adivasi can be assessed, also it will help in conserving and protecting the culture and history of tribals in Country.
Khunti BJP MLA and former minister Neel Kanth Singh Munda too supported the Adivasi Sarna religious code but accused the Congress party of doing politics over it as deliberately the word Adivasi has been included in the proposal. The BJP lawmaker claimed that from 1931 census to 1961 there was separate column for Adivasi in census, but later Adivasi (tribal) column was removed from census form.
Munda demanded that instead of Adivasi/Sarna in religious code, it should be Adivasi or Sarna in the religious code. Congress legislator from Mandar Bandhu Tirkey too demanded removal of Adivasi word from proposal and it should be only Sarna religious code. Tirkey said, “Around ninety lakh people follow Sarna religion by giving them separate religious code it will fulfill the aspirations of Sarna tribals.”
Meanwhile, after the passing of separate religious code for Adivasi Sarna the Sarna community came out on the road celebrating the historic decision.
