RANCHI: Amid the ongoing protest by the JMM and Congress demanding a Sarna Religion Code, Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi said that if these parties are truly concerned, they should take concrete steps to stop the conversion of tribals to Christianity.
According to Marandi, if all tribals who believe in Marang Buru or worship nature are converted to Christianity, then who will write ‘Sarna’ in the separate column of the census form. Notably, tribal leaders across Jharkhand have been demanding the implementation of a Sarna Code in census surveys to identify tribals as followers of the Sarna faith.
Marandi said religious conversion has become a major challenge in Jharkhand, which is why the previous Raghuvar Das-led BJP government had brought in a bill to curb it.
Addressing the media at the BJP headquarters in Ranchi, Marandi cited the 2011 caste census, claiming that 15.48% of the tribal population in Jharkhand had converted to Christianity. He added that nearly 26% of Oraon, around 33% of Munda, over 67% of Kharia, more than 2% of Ho, and about 1% of Santhal populations had adopted Christianity.
“Why doesn't the government explain how lakhs of tribals who traditionally followed the Sarna religion have now been converted to Christianity?” he asked.
Marandi said that in 2011, Jharkhand’s total population was 3.29 crore, of which 86.45 lakh (26.2%) were tribals. “Out of these, nearly 14 lakh (around 15%) identified themselves as Christians. The question is, how did so many tribals shift from their original Sarna faith to Christianity, and why is this trend continuing?" he said.
He added that the upcoming caste census would reveal the actual figures of tribal conversion, and warned, “When all tribals will become Christians, then where will Sarna survive?”
Marandi challenged the JMM and Congress: “If they truly care about protecting the Sarna faith and are serious about demanding a separate religion code, they should explain what concrete steps they've taken to curb religious conversions.”
He also accused both parties of deceiving the tribal community under the guise of advocating for a Sarna religion code.
Marandi pointed out that a Sarna code had existed in earlier censuses but was later removed by the Congress-led central government. “In 2014, when the Congress-led UPA government was in power at the Centre, they called the demand for a Sarna Dharma Code ‘impractical’ in Parliament. Hemant Soren was comfortably sharing power with them,” he said.
Marandi alleged that the tribal community in Jharkhand is now facing widespread exploitation, and claimed the real character of the JMM and Congress—who he said are encouraging conversion and infiltration—has now been exposed.
The JMM and Congress have been demanding a separate column for Sarna followers in the census form. After Congress held demonstrations on Monday, the JMM staged similar protests at district headquarters across Jharkhand on Tuesday.