Ranchi: Jharkhand BJP State President and Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi has levelled serious allegations against the Hemant government over the PESA Rules recently issued by the state. He said the rules amount to a direct attack on the orthodox faith, traditions, and worship practices of the tribal society and go against the very spirit of the PESA Act, 1996.
Marandi said the PESA Act was enacted in 1996 to provide constitutional protection to the traditional systems, socio-religious beliefs, and modes of worship of more than 700 tribal communities across the country. However, while framing the rules in Jharkhand, the government has diluted this very objective.
Referring to Section 4(a) of the PESA Act, he said the law clearly states that any rule related to Panchayats must be in consonance with customary law, social and religious practices, and traditional resource management of the community. Customary law is directly linked to the faith and worship practices of tribal society and cannot be ignored.
Giving examples, Marandi said the Santhal community believes in Marang Buru and Jaher Ayo, and performs worship at Jaher Than and Manjhi Than. Similarly, communities such as Munda, Oraon, Ho, and Kharia have their own distinct beliefs, faith systems, and modes of worship. Under the PESA Act, only those individuals who adhere to these orthodox beliefs and worship traditions are eligible to be the head of the Gram Sabha.
He alleged that the Hemant government deliberately omitted the term “customary/orthodox” from the rules and instead included only words like “tradition” and “customs.” This, he claimed, has opened the way for people who have abandoned tribal faith and worship practices to become Gram Sabha heads. He termed this not only a violation of the PESA Act but also a betrayal of the tribal society.
Marandi further said it is unfortunate that the same Congress party which, while in power at the Centre, enacted the PESA Act to strengthen tribal identity and traditions, is today undermining its core spirit in Jharkhand for the sake of political power and is infringing upon tribal rights.
He demanded that the Chief Minister ensure the language of the PESA Act is incorporated verbatim into the PESA Rules. He also warned that if the government fails to reconsider the matter promptly, the BJP will take this issue to villages across the state through a “people’s court” and will make the tribal society aware of their constitutional rights.
BJP Media In-charge Shivpoojan Pathak, spokesperson Pradeep Sinha, and Co-Media In-charge Ashok Badaik were also present at the press conference.
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