At Barhait, BJP puts faith in candidate from Pahariya tribe to defeat Hemant

BARHAIT: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is banking on Simon Malto, a member of the primitive Pahariya tribe, to defeat JMM working president and chief ministerial face of the opposition alliance, Hemant Soren in Barhait — the seat he currently represents in the state assembly.

Although Hemant is also contesting from Dumka, he is being cornered in his sitting constituency Barhait, a reserved seat for Scheduled Tribes (ST), by the BJP by fielding a Pahariya against him. In 2014, Hemant had defeated BJP candidate Hemlal Murmu from here.

The Pahariya primitive tribes of the Santhal Parganas region are said to be inhabitants in the hills of Rajmahal and Dumka for several centuries. However, no one from their tribe has ever been able to enter the state assembly.

These primitive tribes are residing in the hills of Rajmahal since the days of Alexander. According to the gazetteer of Santhal Parganas, Greek traveller Megasthenese had identified the Pahariyas as Mallis. He in his accounts referred Sauriya Pahadiya as “Savars” of Odisha.

As per the census reports of 2011, the population of Pahariya stands at 182,017 across Sahebganj, Pakur, Godda, Dumka and Jamtara districts. Due to their ‘insignificant’ numbers in politics, they have never been on the radar of the most major political parties.

However, former BJP district president of Dumka, Manoj Saha, said the BJP is willing to take the risk and has again given ticket to Simon, who belongs to Sundar Pahadi locality in Godda district. “In 2009, Manoj Pahariya of Dumka had contested from Jama seat against Sita Soren of JMM

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It is a small village, but thousands of people visit the place on June 30 every year where Sido and Kanhu were martyred. I would win both the seats I am contesting. The alliance is doing well so far and the BJP is on the back foot. HEMANT SOREN, JMM working president

I am fortunate that the party has given me a ticket... The Pahariyas desperately want a representative in the assembly. SIMON MALTO, BJP candidate

but he could not win,” added Saha.

There are two sects of Pahariyas: Sauriya and Mal Pahariya. The population of Sauriya stands at 46,222, while the count of Mal Pahariya is 135,795, as per the 2011 census. The language of Sauriya is called Sauriya, while Mal Pahariya speaks Malto. Their customs are also different.

As they are residing in different constituencies, they are not considered “politically strong”. The Sauriya Pahariya reside in Rajmahal, Barhait, Pakur and Borio assembly segments, while the Mal Pahariya are concentrated in Dumka, Godda and Jamtara.

“I am fortunate that the party has given me ticket. The economic condition of my people is very poor and they are not politically strong too. Most of them are farmers dependent on the shifting cultivation. The BJP has been focusing on them. The Pahariyas desperately want a representative in the assembly,” said Malto.

In united Bihar, first chief minister of the state Shri Krishna Singh had established a separate department for them in 1957 called as Pahariya department. It still exists in Jharkhand. “As their population has been fluctuating and they were on the verge of extinction, the department’s reports said family planning among the Pahariya primitive tribes is banned in the state,” an official said.

“The census reports of 1901 said the Sauriya Pahariya of Jharkhand was around 47,000, while their population in 2001 was around 31,050 but it rose to 46,222 in 2011 reports,” the official added.

JMM leader Stephen Marandi, also sitting MLA of neighbouring Maheshpur, claimed that when Hemant was the chief minister, he had done a lot of development among the primitive Pahariya tribes. “The government had provided cattle, schools on hilltops, vegetable seeds for agriculture, houses and mosquito nets to prevent malaria in their villages.”

Malto said he credits the BJP government for establishing a separate Pahariya battalion in the state police and many boys and girls were given jobs in it.

However, Hemant said his government had developed Barhait a historical tourist place. “It is a small village, but thousands of people visit the place on June 30 every year where Sido and Kanhu were martyred. I would win both the seats I am contesting. The alliance is doing well so far and the BJP is on the back foot.”