‘State’s decision to recognise Sari, Sarna as separate religions likely to deal a blow to BJP’
It has been decided at an all-party meet to table a Bill for the same soon
The decision of the state government to soon recognise the Sari and Sarna tribal religions, a longstanding demand among tribals, from at least five states in India, is likely to deal a heavy blow to the BJP both in Bengal and at the Centre ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The decision to recognise Sari and Sarna as separate religions was taken at the all-party meeting convened by Assembly Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay in the Assembly. It was decided that a Bill will soon be moved in the Assembly during the upcoming Budget session.
Political observers are of the opinion that the decision could well prove to be a trump card for the Trinamool Congress for the upcoming Lok Sabha poll.
They pointed out that most of the Lok Sabha constituencies in the tribal areas in Bengal went to the BJP in the 2019 Parliamentary elections. These include Bankura, Purulia, Midnapore and Jhargram. Majority section of the tribal population in Bengal live in these districts. The introduction of this Bill may lead to swinging of the votes towards the TMC, the political observers believe.
Further, sources in TMC said that this decision is also crucial since the BJP, in a bid to retain its tribal votes, also went ahead to appoint Draupadi Murmu, member of the tribal community, as the President of India. West Bengal’s recognition of these tribal religions will seek to further secure ground for the TMC on a national level. The tribal body Adivasi Sengel Abhiyan has been agitating in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha and Assam demanding they be identified as followers of the Sarna Dharma Code in the census papers. The body has also written to the President of India, Draupadi Murmu demanding a distinct Sarna religious code.
Senior TMC leader Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay said that the tribal people are followers of Sari and Sarna although they are shown as followers of Hinduism.The decision was taken to honour the long-standing demands of the tribal population to recognise Sari and Sarna as
separate religions.
