Jharkhand: It’s Adivasis vs Adivasis

‘‘This time we will make the world know that our party is the most popular among the Adivasis,’’ said BJP state President Yadunath Pandey.

The 32 party MLAs have been assigned with the job of collecting the bringing the Adivasis to the venue. And they seem to be vying with each other to prove their own worth.

The AAM—which is supported by both the Catholic and Protestant churches and has the ‘‘moral support’’ of the CPI(M), CPI and CPI(ML)—has given a call for a bandh on the day of the BJP rally. It has attacked the BJP announcement particularly as the party has not declared an agenda for the meet. ‘‘By holding the rally in the name of Adivasi,the BJP is out to cheat us,’’ said Bandhu Tirkey, convenor of the AAM.

However, there is no unity among the Adivasi leadership. While the Left parties are supporting the AAM, the Congress, RJD and the JMM have opposed the anti-BJP bandh. ‘‘There is no rationale for the bandh now,’’ said JMM President Shibu Soren.

The AAM’s pamphlets distributed door to door criticise the BJP’s sincerity in promoting Adivasi interests.

One says: ‘‘BJP damb bharti hai ki uske pas sarvadhik Adivasi MLA/MP hai. Kintu adhik MLA/MP Adivasi ko bachane ke liye hai ya unhe marne ke liye hai (BJP boasts of having maximum number of MLAs/MPs, but are they there to help the Adivasis or kill them?)