Shanpai Soren and Hemant Soren.
Jharkhand elections again demand implementation of Sarna Code. Congress and JMM have promised to implement the bill if the state forms government again. The Congress party’s JMM claims to implement the Sana Code, which is seen as a rebuttal to the Hindutva promoted by the BJP’s UCC. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party has also stated that the party is in favor of the implementation of the Sarna Code.
In the Jharkhand Assembly elections, all three major parties are discussing the implementation of the Sarna Code as the reason behind it is the huge vote bank of tribals. In fact, earlier there was a separate column for Sarna religious code in the census, but it was later abolished. In this context, all political parties raised the demand for a separate Sarna religious code in the tribal census. The Congress JMM also promoted Sarna Dharmacode in its election manifesto.
Know what is Sarna Dharma Code
Sana Code is an issue related to tribal culture and traditions. Although the tribes worship trees, mountains and nature, the beliefs and rituals of most tribal communities are close to Hinduism and the rituals and deities worshiped are the same as those of Sanatan. But in the tribal worship system, there is a tradition of nature worship, not idol worship. Sarna is also known as a place of worship for tribes where the tribal community gathers and performs worship on different festivals according to their beliefs.
They also have a Sarna flag. But the central government has rejected a proposal to formulate separate religious codes for tribes in Jharkhand in the census. The government’s argument is that adding a new column or religious code in addition to the religion column in the census would raise more demands across the country, which is unlikely, but it is an emotional issue for tribes. The issue was also raised during the Lok Sabha elections.
What did the BJP MP say?
In this regard, BJP MP Nisikant Dubey said that the BJP is not opposed to the Sana Code and the BJP will implement the Sana Code. We are demanding Sarna Code, our Kadiya Munda has made a big move against Sarna Code, but to incite the vote bank, JMM Congress is talking about Sarna Code. On this matter, BJP MP Deepak Prakash also said that the party respects Sarna Dharma norms.
Hemant government convened a special meeting
The Hemant government also convened a special session and passed the Sarna Religious Code Bill in the Jharkhand Assembly. Hemant Soren also wrote a letter to PM Modi in this regard, but former Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren raised the issue with JMM and Congress challenge. Champai Soren said the Sarna Code existed until 1951, but Congress abolished it. In this case, the JMM should sever ties with Congress before talking about the Sana Code.
The influence and activity of Christian missionaries in tribal communities is also considered relevant to the need for the Sarna Code. Those who oppose the Sanatan Dharma say that the Sanatan Dharma is actually the original religion and way of life of the Sanatan Dharma tradition. In this situation, there was an attempt to divide the tribes and distance them from Sanatan Hinduism through a separate Sanat Code so that they could easily convert to Christianity.
