Did Babulal Marandi Just Expose JMM-Congress Betrayal of Tribals on Sarna Faith?

Ranchi, May 27 (NationPress) The Leader of Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly and BJP state President Babulal Marandi has, on Tuesday, accused the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress of misleading the tribal population under the pretext of the 'Sarna Dharma Code'.

During a press briefing at the state BJP office, Marandi raised concerns regarding why the leaders of these parties—who now present themselves as defenders of the Sarna faith—remain silent amid the increasing occurrences of unlawful religious conversions among the tribal community throughout the state.

“Why doesn’t the government provide clarity on how lakhs of tribals, who have historically adhered to the Sarna religion, have converted to Christianity?” he questioned.

Referring to the data from the 2011 Census, Marandi pointed out that Jharkhand's total population was 3.29 crore, with 86.45 lakh (26.2 percent) identifying as tribals.

“Out of these, nearly 14 lakh—approximately 15 percent—have labeled themselves as Christians. The pressing question is, how did such a large number of tribals transition from their original Sarna faith to Christianity, and why does this trend persist?” he queried, noting that the forthcoming census would shed further light on the situation.

He challenged the JMM and Congress, stating that if they genuinely care about safeguarding the Sarna faith and are serious about advocating for a distinct religion code, they should clarify the tangible actions they have taken to prevent religious conversions.

Marandi accused both parties of misleading the tribal community under the guise of supporting a Sarna religion code.

He emphasized that a Sarna code had been part of previous censuses but was later removed by the Congress-led central government. “The Congress must explain why this was the case,” he insisted.

Reflecting on history, Marandi recalled that senior Congress leader Kartik Oraon had voiced concerns against tribal conversions during the 1960s and 1970s, yet was marginalized by his own party.

“In 2014, when the Congress-led UPA government at the Center deemed the demand for a Sarna Dharma Code 'impractical' in Parliament, Hemant Soren was comfortably allied with them,” he added.

Marandi claimed that the tribal community in Jharkhand is currently facing widespread exploitation, asserting that the true nature of the JMM and Congress—who he alleged are fostering conversion and infiltration—has now been revealed.

Both Congress and JMM are rallying for a distinct column for Sarna followers in the census form. Following Congress protests on Monday, the JMM held similar demonstrations at district headquarters across Jharkhand on Tuesday.