Tribal votes loom large, PM’s ‘Viksit Bharat’ yatra has a special address: Birsa Munda birthplace

The yatra had earlier run into controversy over the government’s plan to depute senior bureaucrats as prabharis (in-charges). The Election Commission then directed Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba to ensure that the programme is not hosted in the five election-going states, as well as the constituency in Nagaland seeing a bypoll, until December 5.

Tribals form a formidable chunk in Jharkhand, but are also a big factor in the states going to polls in this phase, plus Odisha, which votes next year, apart from the Lok Sabha elections.

In the 2019 Assembly elections in Jharkhand, where tribals constitute 27% of the state’s population, the BJP had won only two of the 28 seats reserved for STs, while the JMM-Congress alliance had grabbed 25. The remaining ST reserved seat too, was won by the Congress in a bypoll. It was a steep fall from the 11 ST reserved Assembly seats the party had won in 2014. Not only that, months before the 2019 Assembly polls, it had won 12 of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Earlier, the BJP brought back its tribal leader Babulal Marandi as head of the state unit. The party has also tried to woo tribals by projecting them as part of a larger Hindu identity, often causing tension with groups that practice the ritualistic “Sarna” faith.

The significance of Birsa Munda’s legacy was first spotted by Jaipal Singh Munda, a local who was the captain of the Indian hockey team that won gold in the 1928 Olympics, and went on to become a member of the Constituent Assembly. He spoke up for the rights of tribals in the Constituent Assembly debates, and later went on to form the Jharkhand Party.

“Electorally, he [Jaipal] represented Birsa Munda’s birthplace. Ideologically, he invoked ‘Bhagwan’ Birsa. After forming the Jharkhand Party, Jaipal was singularly responsible for throwing light on Birsa Munda, and paved the way for others to slowly appropriate him,” a government official says.

Many movements that fought for the Forest Rights Act named them after Birsa Munda. The government of the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance in the state too has named various schemes after Birsa Munda. The JMM is the predominant tribal party in the state.

Believed to be born on November 15, 1874, Birsa Munda turned to Christianity at the age of 12. The tribals were told by the missionaries that if they converted, their common lands — which had been appropriated by the rapidly spreading feudal system imposed by the British — would be returned to them.

However, a few years later, Munda fell out with the missionaries, and accused them of equally exploiting the local tribals as the British.

“He ran away from his school and was later deeply influenced by Vaishnavism. For a brief period, he was also known as a ‘healer’ and a messiah. He founded his own religion, known as Birsait. He followed a daily schedule, wore janeu (sacred thread) and practised certain rituals that are followed by Vaishnavas, like praying to the tulsi plant (holy basil), among others,” says Ranendra, director of Ramdayal Munda Tribal Welfare Research Institute.

Adivasi Jan Parishad president Prem Shahi Munda says Birsa Munda’s embrace of Vaishnavism is no proof of his acceptance of Hinduism. “Birsait, which he founded, was devoid of all problematic rituals of Hinduism. PM Modi talks of a lot of things, but his government hasn’t given Birsa martyr status. His descendants remain in penury. It is all about votes.”

But BJP’s Tribal Morcha is unfazed by such reactions. On Wednesday, it conducted a meeting to discuss the programmes around the PM’s visit, where it was decided that thousands of tribals will participate by playing music in their traditional costumes to welcome him.

State president and former CM Babulal Marandi said the BJP has always been concerned about tribals. He said former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee gave a separate state for the tribals, while PM Modi has raised the pride of tribal society.

“He has taken many historic decisions. By declaring the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda as Tribal Pride Day, the country has paid the finest tribute to all tribal freedom fighters of the country. Also, for the first time ever, a daughter of the tribal community was made the President of the country,” Marandi said.

On the PM’s visit, the spokesperson of the ruling JMM, Supriyo Bhattacharya, said: “We welcome him in the hope that we will get rid of some problems that got worse due to the Central government… Wherever he goes, he builds a relationship, especially during election time. For example, he could pay our state its dues, i.e Rs 36 lakh crore. He could also assist in the revival of the Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC, in Ranchi), etc… Although the PM talks a lot about Adivasis and Dalits, in practice, these groups are given the short shrift.”