Adivasi outfits pin hope on Droupadi Murmu to counter Hindutva agenda

In a paradoxical twist to BJP’s tribal outreach, Adivasi groups are pinning hopes on the party’s presidential nominee Droupadi Murmu for recognition of their indigenous faith as a separate religion, a demand contrary to hindutva agenda.

Intense mobilisation drives have been started by influential Advasi organisations for a separate religion code in the upcoming census for the Scheduled Tribe communities, who worship nature, maintaining that they should not be misconstrued as Hindus.

The Adivasi organisations feel that their demand will get a push if the country’s first tribal woman nominee for the July 18 presidential elections ultimately gets elected to the top post.

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The BJP named Murmu, an Adivasi woman born in Mayurbhanj, as the ruling alliance’s presidential nominee, a move seen as an attempt to strengthen its foothold in tribal areas.

The BJP is out of power in most states that have significant Adivasi population such as Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

These states account for 22 of the 47 ST reserved seats in Lok Sabha. In the 2019 parliamentary elections the BJP pocketed 35 ST reserved seats.

To repeat its 2019 performance, the party needed to get overwhelming support from the Adivasis, among whom resentment is now brewing over attempts by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its ideological offshoots to subsume Adivasis within the greater Hindu fold.

As a counter to the expansionist agenda of the Hindutva groups, the Adivasi outfits’ demand for a separate religious identity for the tribal people is getting momentum.

The Jharkhand government has already moved the Centre to include “Sarna” as a separate religious code for the Adivasis in the upcoming census.

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Adivasi Sengel (empowerment) Abhiyan (ASA), an organisation working among the tribal communities of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Assam, held a demonstration in New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar last week to push for the separate-religious identity demand.

It also submitted a memorandum to President Ram Nath Kovind explaining the need for the Adivasis to get the recognition of their indigenous faith as a distinct and exclusive religion.

Another influential tribal organisation, Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad (ABAVP) is also holding consultative meetings among tribal leaders, groups and other stakeholders across the country to build public opinion in favour of their demand.

Both the organisations are of the view that tribal identity, culture and traditional way of life are getting diluted or lost because of non-formalisation of their religion, leaving the community vulnerable to religious conversion.

In the absence of a separate code, the followers of the indigenous faith enlist themselves in the “Other Religions and Persuasion” column during the census.

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In the 2011 census, around 50 lakh tribal people mentioned their religion as “Sarna” in the “others” category.

The Sarna religion is practiced primarily by Adivasis in the states of Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, Assam, and Chhattisgarh.

There are other indigenous faiths as well among the Adivasis such as Koyapunem, followed by most Gonds, or Sonatan, practiced by many Bhils.

There are differences among the tribal bodies over the generic nomenclature for different indigenous faiths. The ASA wants it to be Sarna, as majority of the 781 Adivasi sub clans follow it. The ABAVP says it should be a general term like “Adivasi dharma”.

There is however a broader consensus about the need for recognition of the tribal faith by granting them a separate religion code in the census.

In the census form, there are eight categories to define a person’s religious affiliation. They are Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christians, Jain, Buddhist, unaffiliated (atheists) and others.

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To add an additional category will require a constitutional amendment with 2/3rd majority.

The ruling BJP is however strongly against recognising the tribal faiths as a separate religious entity outside the greater Hindu family.

“Yes, they have the reservation about the indigenous faith which is unfounded. But we are trying to convince them that for the protection Jal, Jungle, Jamin (water, forest and land), it is essential that the tribal culture and faiths are preserved,” said former BJP MP from Odisha’s Mayurbhanj constituency Salkhan Murmu, who is also the president of the ASA.

“The RSS-BJP has a misconception that we are part of Hinduism, which we are not. Our rituals and process of worship are completely different. We are not idol worshipers. We worship nature,” former Jharkhand minister and a prominent tribal leader Geetashree Oraon told The Federal.

The two leaders feel that the NDA’s presidential nominee would help push their demand if she makes it to the Raisina Hill.

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 “We are hopeful that if Draupadi Murmu becomes President of India, tribal issues will get more attention and our demand for the separate religion will get some spotlight,” ASA president told The Federal.

Geetashree Oraon, who is also a leader of the ABAVP, too feels that Murmu’s election as President would be a boost to the Adivasi cause.

“When she (Murmu) was governor of Jharkhand, we had given a memorandum to her on the issue. She herself being a tribal was supportive of the need for a separate common code for all Adivasi religions,” said Oraon, who represents Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikash Parishad (ABAVP).

“We went to meet President Ram Nath Kovind in May. But the meeting could not take place as he had just returned from a foreign tour. We will now call on the next occupant of the Rashtrapati Bhawan,” Oraon said, exuding confidence that Murmu will strive to protect the religious and cultural identity of the Adivasis.

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