Cong-JMM indulge in 'vote bank' politics, try to divide tribals in Jharkhand: Babulal Marandi

The Jharkhand BJP leader Babulal Marandi accused the Congress and JMM of dividing tribal communities for vote bank politics, claiming the BJP promotes equality among all communities.

Leader of Opposition in the Jharkhand assembly, Babulal Marandi, on Sunday accused the Congress and the JMM of indulging in ''vote bank'' politics and ''dividing'' the tribal communities in the state.

He claimed that there is no difference but equality between 'Sarna', followed predominantly by indigenous communities of the Chota Nagpur Plateau region, and 'Sanatan Dharma'.

''The Congress and the JMM are indulging in the politics of dividing tribal communities for their vote-bank,'' Marandi told reporters at state BJP headquarters here.

He asserted that the BJP would not allow them to succeed in their attempt to divide the tribal people.

Marandi alleged, ''As the Congress is being rejected by the people across the country, the party is adopting tactics to divide society. Congress leaders' allegation that the BJP and the RSS are trying to turn tribals into Hindus is part of those tactics. Dividing society and grabbing power is in the very nature of Congress.''.

Jharkhand Congress leaders had on May 22 criticised Sunday's event of tribals in Delhi and termed the programme as a ''political stunt'' of the BJP.

They alleged that the event 'Janjati Sanskritik Samagam' was being organised by RSS-linked Janjati Suraksha Manch, and the BJP wanted to gain political mileage out of it. They had also claimed that the rights of tribal communities were being weakened across the country.

Marandi charged the JMM-led Jharkhand government with attempting to ''weaken the tribal tradition and customary system in the rules of PESA law''.

He said, ''There is no difference between 'Sarna', 'Sanatan Dharma' and the Hindu religion. Rather, there is equality among them. They worship nature and also worship trees, mountains, water, and Mother Earth.''