A Contested Future

Adivasis have their own customary traditions and enshrined constitutional rights. Yet attempts are being made to not only take away their guaranteed privileges, but also to bring them into the Hindu fold

- Abhik Bhattacharya and Md Asghar Khan

ON January 31, when the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) arrested former Jharkhand chief minister (CM) Hemant Soren—after a brief period of the alleged rumour that he has gone ‘missing’—political observers didn’t realise that it would take a new turn in Adivasi politics. But Soren made it apparent. While addressing the legislative assembly after his party secured a comfortable win in the trust vote, Soren said, “They can’t stand an Adivasi riding a BMW.” Notably, the ED had seized Soren’s BMW from his Delhi residence, when he was allegedly ‘absconding’ to avoid the 10th summons from the central agency.

However, this is not the first time Soren has been hounded by the ED since he took over as the CM in 2019. In 2022, it questioned him over a case of illegal mining and arrested his close aides, leading to speculation that the Governor might dismiss his government. Interestingly, these investigations started after Soren’s government passed the Sarna Code Bill in the state assembly in November 2020, which seeks a separate religion column for the Adivasis in the upcoming census. He also asked the Union government to include it in the Ninth Schedule to avoid judicial scrutiny.

Till now, neither has the Governor signed the bill nor has the Union government paid heed to the demands. Instead, in the recent past, the Union government has been found to be assertive about the Hindu identity of the Adivasis in every possible political space, including the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony. Addressing the nation after the much-celebrated ceremony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi evoked Ram as the central character to unite India. He also didn’t miss the opportunity to invoke Mata Shabari—presumably an Adivasi character in the Ramayana—whom Ram had recognised as equal.