Babulal Marandi Raises Alarm Over Tribal Population Decline and Demographic Changes in Jharkhand
Ranchi, August 31, 2026: Jharkhand Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi on Monday raised serious concerns over the declining tribal population and changing demographic pattern in the state, particularly in the Santhal Pargana region. He accused the Congress, missionary organisations and the Hemant Soren government of failing to address issues related to tribal rights and demographic changes.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP state office in Ranchi, Marandi alleged that the Congress had historically failed to protect the interests of tribal communities and had used various means to influence and mislead them. He also alleged that missionary organisations had played a supporting role in this process.
Referring to the history of the Jharkhand movement, Marandi said the demand for a separate state had gained momentum soon after Independence, but the Congress continued to ignore it. He referred to the contributions of Jaipal Singh Munda, Kartik Oraon and Shibu Soren and alleged that the Congress had attempted to weaken the movement through political manoeuvring.
Marandi said the constitutional rights of tribal communities were secure under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asserted that no one would be allowed to interfere with their rights. He appealed to tribal people to remain alert against attempts to mislead them politically.
He also alleged that tribal people were being pressured to attend a rally. Claiming that a letter had been issued from the office of the Archbishop of Ranchi, Marandi said people were allegedly threatened with fines of Rs 100 to Rs 500 for not attending the programme. He played an audio recording during the press conference and claimed it supported his allegations.
The BJP leader's main focus, however, was the changing demographic pattern of Jharkhand. He alleged that the state government, Congress and missionary organisations had remained silent on the issue.
Citing Census data, Marandi said the tribal population declined from 35.38% in 1951 to 26.20% in 2011. He claimed that the Muslim population increased from 8.9% to 14.53% during the same period, while the population share of Sanatanis declined from 87.79% to 81.17%.
Marandi said that projections based on the trend suggested that the tribal population could decline further by 2051. He described the situation as a matter of concern and called for greater attention to the protection of tribal rights and interests.
He also raised allegations of illegal occupation of tribal land in Santhal Pargana. Presenting a letter from the Adivasi Kalyan Samiti, Pakur, he claimed that tribal raiyati land had been occupied in several areas and that buildings, factories, mosques and madrasas had allegedly been constructed on such land.
Marandi said the organisation had submitted complaints to the Chief Minister, the Central Government and other authorities, including allegations of fraudulent gift deeds being used to acquire tribal land.
He also referred to allegations of land grabbing by suspected Bangladeshi infiltrators and demanded a detailed investigation by the state government. He asked the Hemant Soren government to make public the action taken on the complaints.
Ashok Baraik, Ram Kumar Pahan, Sunny Toppo and Pinky Khoya were present at the press conference.
