Multiple tribal organisations start hitting streets in districts against Narendra Modi government

 Protests in districts to include Sari, Sarna faiths in census, TMC backs demand

A tribal dharna to include Sari and Sarna codes in the census in Minakhan, North 24-Parganas

Snehamoy Chakraborty, TT, Calcutta, 15.02.24  : Multiple tribal organisations have started hitting the streets in at least eight Bengal districts against the Narendra Modi government to seek recognition of Sari and Sarna as religious codes in the census.

Recognition of Sari and Sarna — the two dominant faiths practised by the tribal populace — has been a longstanding demand of the tribal community.

In the past two days, several tribal outfits protested for this demand, including in districts Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum and North 24-Parganas.

"Our protest is against the central government that can give us the unique status for our traditional religion. Despite the state Assembly passing a resolution and personal communications by our chief minister Mamata Banerjee, the Union government did not recognise the religious codes," said Subal Chandra Sardar, president of Sangrami Adivasi Mancha, an outfit protesting in North 24-Parganas Minakhan along with Sunderbans Adivasi Jagaran Samiti, another tribal platform.

"The demand is not from Bengal or any other state but from over 50 lakh tribal people across the country. Why will the Centre deprive us?" he added.

A source said that the ruling Trinamul has been supporting the movement by the tribal outfits ahead of the Lok Sabha polls to corner the BJP, which has a significant support base among the people of the community since the 2019 general elections. In 2019, the BJP bagged 18 out of 42 seats in Bengal.

Trinamul MP Samirul Islam raised the issue on February 7 in Rajya Sabha and demanded that the Narendra Modi government recognise the Sari and Sarna as unique religious status like other religions.

A senior Trinamul leader said the demand to recognise religions practised by tribal people assumes significance politically at a time the BJP had been trying to pitch a narrative over the Bengal government's alleged discrimination between general category and SC-ST women in the recent hike in Lakshmir Bhandar scheme.

The state government announced a Rs 500 hike for Lakshmir Bhandar beneficiaries in the general category to Rs 1,000 a month and an increase of Rs 200 for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe women to Rs 1,200 a month.

"We support the movement by the tribal people to counter the BJP's narrative of discrimination in the amount of financial aid under Lakshmir Bhandar," a senior Trinamul leader said.