Ahead of polls, TMC woos ST voters with demand for recognition of Sarna dharma
At a public rally in Aipurduar, TMC chief Mamata Baneree said her government has written to the Centre to recognise Sarna dharma as a separate religion.
With an eye on the crucial assembly elections due in two months, the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal has raised the demand of giving recognition to Sarna dharma as a separate religious code in a bid to woo the state’s tribal voters.
“I have kept all my promises. You had started a movement for Sarna Dharma. I have also written a letter (to the Centre) for (the recognition) of Sarna Dharma,” chief minister and TMC boss Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday while addressing a rally at Alipurduar on the third day of a four-day visit to north Bengal.
She did not mention when she had written the letter.
Followers of Sarna usually are nature worshippers who have their own gods and goddesses. They have been demanding recognition of it as a distinct religion for decades. At present, under the census, there are codes for only six religions: Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism.
“We have formed laws so that none could take away the land from adivasis. I have also written a letter for giving recognition to Sarna Dharma. I have done everything for you,” Banerjee said.
The tribal vote bank becomes crucial for any political party aiming to win the state’s assembly elections. Scheduled Tribes form around six per cent of the state’s population.
Out of the 294 assembly states in the legislative assembly, while 68 seats are reserved for scheduled castes, 16 assembly constituencies are reserved for scheduled tribes. According to the 2019 Lok Sabha election trends, BJP was leading over TMC in 13 of the reserved seats. The BJP won both the Lok Sabha seats reserved for STs - Alipurduar and Jhargram.
The tribal population in West Bengal is mostly concentrated in north Bengal and in the Jangalmahal (western districts). The BJP had made deep inroads in both these areas. While in north Bengal they had won seven out of the eight Lok Sabha seats, in Jangalmahal they had won all four seats.
“It is a very good move by Mamata Banerjee and we welcome it. It has been a long term demand by the tribals to give recognition to Sarna and include it as a separate code in the census. This would enable tribals to mention their religion as Sarna while filling up forms. As of now they have to mention their religion as others as they can’t choose among Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and others,” said PC Hembram, general secretary of All India Adivasi Socio Educational and Cultural Association in Delhi.
Back in November 2020, the Jharkhand assembly had passed a house resolution on Sarna Adivasi code for granting separate religious identity of the tribes in census 2021. In December 2020 at least 10 adivasi organisations submitted a memorandum to the state government demanding that it ask the Centre to recognise Sarna.
That the TMC was desperate to win over the tribal votes was evident from the chief minister’s statements during her trip to north Bengal.
“I have lost all seats in 2019. I am not ashamed. I feel that this time you will compensate me. Please compensate,” Banerjee urged the people of north Bengal as she listed out the sops which the state has showered on the tribal communities.
On Tuesday, the TMC supremo went on a public relations overdrive as she danced with tribals at a mass wedding ceremony, organized by the state government in Alipurduar district.