Adivasis Demand Their Own Religious Code Amid Amit Shah’s Assertion for UCC

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Adivasi leaders from several states assembled in the historic Gandhi Maidan in Patna on November 25 and made a strong demand for the ‘Sarna Religious Code’ for themselves while a day earlier Home Minister Amit Shah had asserted for a Uniform Civil Code in the country. Tribal leaders also appealed to their community members not to convert to Islam and Christianity, arguing that these are ‘alien religions.’

 Sami Ahmad

 PATNA—A day after Home Minister Amit Shah’s assertion for the so-called Uniform Civil Code (UCC), hundreds of Adivasis from five states – Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and Assam – assembled at Patna’s historic Gandhi Maidan on November 25 and put their demand for Sarna Religious Code for themselves in the strongest word. They said that the Sarna Religious Code be recognized under Article 25 of the Constitution that guarantees the freedom of conscience, and the freedom to profess, practice, and propagate religion to all citizens.

The ironic part of this demand is that a two-time BJP MP is leading it, Salkhan Murmu though BJP has been a strong opponent of this demand. This campaign also has a dangerous tilt as it claims that “Adivasis are forced to become Christian-Muslim etc.”

Salkhan Murmu was an MP in 1998 and 1999 (mid-term poll) from Odisha’s Mayurbhanj. He is called Sarna Dharma Guru. He is the national president of Adivasi Sengel Abhiyan (ASA) or the Adivasi Empowerment. ASA asked President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help provide Sarna Religious Code.

ASA says Adivasis are nature-worshippers but have not been granted justice and rights for their religious beliefs under Article 25 of the Indian Constitution. It claims that Adivasis are the real sons of the soil. It also demands that Santhali be made the first state language of Jharkhand and Scheduled Tribe status to the Jharkandi Adivasis living in Andaman and Assam for over 150 years.

Salkhan Murmu says, “We have a special language, culture and moral values attached to nature. This is because we consider nature as our lord.” He also claims, “We do not believe in a personality-centric or idol

 worship. We do not even believe in heaven or hell.” So, he says, “For nature-worshipping Adivasis, it is necessary to have a separate religious identity; otherwise, our existence and identity will cease.”

Salkhan says that according to the census of 2011, the population of nature-worshipping Adivasis is more than 50 lakhs who wrote Other in the religion column instead of Sarna, while the Jains are only 44 lakhs. So, he demands, “Indian government must grant recognition to Sarna as a religious code and include us in a dignified manner in the census.”

 It is worth mentioning here that Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren has been asking for Sarna Adivasi Code. He tweeted on June 8 this year that they have sent the Sarna Adivasi Code to the Centre.

 He asked, “Why is the opposition (BJP) silent on this? Why are the Adivasis not being given their religious code? Those who are fewer in number than we are given their code, then why not the Adivasis getting that?” While the demand for the recognition of Sarna’s religious code is supported by other Adivasi organizations, the talk of ‘genocide’ by Salkhan Murmu’s ASA juxtaposing the alleged conversion is quite different.

 ASA says that as the Sikhs and Buddhists are recognized in the Hindu Marriage Act-1955, the Adivasis, too, ‘wish for the same recognition’. Then it adds, “So that we are not cut from our roots by accepting the Videshi Dharm Sanskriti (Foreign Religion and Culture) of Christians and Muslims.”

 This talk of Videshi is akin to what the BJP and its parent organization, RSS, have been telling as a means of Othering the religious minorities of India, particularly the Muslims and the Christians.

 ASA talks of proximity to the Hindu marriage act, but the Adivasi intelligentsia asserts that Sarna and Sanatana are different.

Noted Adivasi affairs expert Dr. Karma Oraon says that Sarna is still not recognized as a separate religion. He asserts that Sarna is not like the Sanatana or Hindu religion, as Adivasis do not believe in

 the concept of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh.

 In this programme of the Adivasis, slogans like Jay Sarna and Jay Adivasi were raised, but the demand for Sarna’s religious code also had a clear manifestation of Hindutva politics. There were slogans praising PM Modi, and BJP MLC Sanjay Paswan was also present in this programme as a special guest. Paswan thanked the organisers for putting up the posters of Mr. Modi. He, too, talked about the recognition of the Sarna religious code but not without mentioning the “Bahar Se Aane Walon Ka Dharm”, indicating Islam and Christianity. He asked the audience not to accept the Bahri Dharm (Foreign Religion).

 Many see this programme as an attempt to assimilate the Sarna Dharm within the Sanatana Dharm. RSS has been active in getting the Adivasis into the Hindu fold and claiming they are part of the Hindu community, while most Adivasi leaders contend with this claim.

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