Sarna code: Tribal bodies gear up for stir on Jan 31
RANCHI: Tribal organisations have given a call for mega road and rail blockade on January 31, a day before presentation of Union budget in the Parliament, in protest against the Centre’s alleged apathetic approach to accord Sarna a separate religion code in the upcoming census. The organisations had earlier given a deadline of December 31 to the central government for the same.
Central president of Kendriya Sarna Samiti (KSS) Phoolchand Tirkey on Friday claimed that the stir would be a nationwide agitation, as tribals of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Chattisgarh, Assam and other states would also participate in the agitation.
Three main tribal organisations such as KSS, Adivasi Sengel Abhiyan (ASA) and Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad (ABAVP) have given the call for the agitation. The organisations on Friday carried out a mass awareness campaign in their respective areas regarding the proposed agitation on January 31.
KSS members carried out the mass awareness programme at Ranchi’s Silli and Angarha blocks on Friday. “We are urging people to participate in the agitation and making them understand the importance of a separate religion code for Adivasis,” Tirkey said.
“Since the central government is silent over the issue, we found no other option but to stage a massive road and rail blockade agitation,” he said.
The JMM-Congress-RJD-led government in Jharkhand had called a special one-day assembly session last year in November and unanimously passed a resolution seeking inclusion of Sarna as a separate religion in Census 2021. After the assembly’s approval, the resolution was forwarded to the Centre.
However, tribal organisations have alleged the resolution was sent to the Centre without the Jharkhand Governor’s signature.
“Since it was not sent through a proper channel, it might have been be rejected by the Centre. So, we met the Governor on January 21 and submitted a memorandum in this regard,” Tirkey said.