Ranchi: The Centre is willing to count animals and tigers, but refuses to officially recognise tribal communities by their religion, alleged Lohardaga MP Sukhdeo Bhagat. He said the government continues to ignore tribal faiths, priests, and sacred places, reflecting a deep-rooted bias against the Adivasi population.
Bhagat, addressing a press conference, accused the Union government of violating the fundamental rights of tribals by removing the “Other Religions” column from the census form. “In previous censuses, over 90 lakh people had marked themselves under ‘Other Religions’, out of which nearly 50 lakh identified as followers of the Sarna faith,” he stated. “But in a planned conspiracy, this column has been removed to erase tribal religious identity.”
He said that while communities like Jains (40 lakh), Buddhists (80 lakh), and Sikhs (2 crore) are officially recognised with dedicated religious codes, nature-worshipping Adivasis, who number around 15 crore across the country, are left without recognition.
“The BJP government, which claims to stand for development and inclusion, is actually working to destroy tribal identity. They do not even call us Adivasi but prefer the term Vanvasi,” said Bhagat. He also criticised the government’s silence on the issue, mentioning that he raised the Sarna code question in the Jharkhand Assembly and again in Parliament on July 22, 2024, but received no response. “This is a government in a Kumbhakarna-like slumber,” he remarked.
Congress deputy leader in the state assembly, Rajesh Kacchap, said the BJP had earlier dismissed the idea of caste-based census but had to yield under pressure from Congress and opposition leaders. “If the government is now conducting a caste census, it must also recognise the Sarna religion with a separate code,” he said, estimating that the tribal population could exceed 15 crore if properly counted.
Kacchap alleged that the removal of the “Other” column is part of a broader BJP ploy to marginalise tribal communities. “The Jharkhand government passed the Sarna religion code bill in a special assembly session and sent it to the Centre, but the BJP is deliberately sitting on it,” he said. “Congress will expose the BJP on the streets and in the Parliament if the code is not implemented.”
Former MLA Jaiprakash Gupta said the fight for the Sarna code is not new and has been going on for years. “This isn’t just a Jharkhand issue; tribals across the country are demanding religious recognition,” he said. “The Centre doesn’t need to amend the Constitution or allocate funds—only a Cabinet decision is required, but they lack the will.”
Also present at the press conference were state Congress spokesperson Sonal Shanti, Kamal Thakur, office in-charge Abhilash Sahu, and district president Rakesh Kiran Mahato.