BJP State President and Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi said that some people who have converted to Christianity are conspiring to mislead the tribal society by using misleading words like 'Catholic tribal'.
He said that these people who have converted to Christianity for the greed of money and political interests are calling themselves tribals only to take unfair advantage of reservation.
He said that the Catholic community should clearly understand that they have complete freedom to follow their religion. But if a conspiracy is hatched to wipe out the tribal society under greed, temptation, fear and conspiracy, then it will not be tolerated at all. The tribal society will not follow the orders of the Church, rather it will decide its direction from Sanatan faith and traditional centers of faith like Sarna Sthal, Manjhi Than and Jaher Than.
He said that soon a movement will be started in Jharkhand to thwart foreign conspiracies by organizing the tribal society, so that our cultural identity and constitutional rights can be protected.
Also, the administration is also requested to take cognizance of the said matter and ensure necessary action under the constitutional and legal provisions.
In Jharkhand, the tribal population is diverse in terms of religious affiliation. While many tribals adhere to the indigenous Sarna religion, a significant portion also identifies as Christian. The Sarna religion, primarily animistic, centers around the worship of nature, particularly trees. Christianity in Jharkhand, particularly among tribal communities, has a history of conversion and often coexists with traditional customs and beliefs.
Marandi remarks against these converted tribal population assume importance as it was Raghubar Das who had brought a bill against religious conversion 'through allurement or coercion' and violators face a three-year jail term and Rs 50,000 fine. Stricter punishment-up to four years in jail and Rs 1 lakh fine-is prescribed if the 'victim' is a minor scheduled caste or scheduled tribe girl. However, it was later kept in cold storage.