Opposition party in the State, BJP, has called a legislative party meet on Tuesday, a day ahead of the Special Assembly session called by the State Government where Sarna Religious Code will be tabled. At the legislative party meet, the Opposition BJP will take a final decision on Sarna Religious Code.
State BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo said, “The BJP has called its legislative party meeting on Wednesday where a decision on Sarna Religious Code will be taken. However, the MLAs are yet to receive the draft of Sarna Religious Code from State Government.” Shahdeo said, “As MLAs have not received the draft of Religious Code, the party is unaware about the salient features of religious code.”
The State Government with an attempt to address the demand of a separate Sarna Code in State for tribal population is going to convene a day-long special session of the Assembly on November 11 to pass a resolution in favour of the Sarna Code. After passing the Sarna Code resolution in Assembly, the State Government will forward it to the Union Government for final consent.
Meanwhile, sources said that though BJP supports Sarna religious code, the party wants clearance from State Government on religious conversion. A senior BJP leader requesting anonymity said, “The party is in opinion that tribals converting to other religions, especially Christianity are left out from separate religious code as there is difference in culture and tradition of Sarna/Adivasi to those of Christian.”
The leader said, “While the Sarna and other Adivasi group marriages are performed with ancient tribal cultures, those tribal groups who have embraced Christianity their marriages are performed at Churches.”
JMM and Congress in their election manifesto had promised to work towards Sarna code - a separate religion column in the national census record, to provide a separate identity to tribals, who largely call themselves as followers of Sarna or nature worshippers. So far, tribals were classified as Hindu, Muslim or Christians in the census.
Also, there is a difference among various tribal groups who want Adivasi religious code rather than Sarna religious code. Sarna specifically relates to a place of worship of the Oraon tribe and it is no longer logical to identify all adivasis as Oroans.
There are others too like Mundas, and Ho, who have different religious practices and affiliations. For example, Mundas call their religious place as Seher while Santhals call it as Jaherthan. Therefore, the majority wants Adivasi code or tribal column and not Sarna code.
The BJP at the one-day special session is also going to bring a white paper of state financial health. Hazaribag MP and former union minister Jayant Sinha has been given the task to prepare white paper on the State’s financial condition. The party through the white paper will highlight Hemant Soren ten month Government failures.