The Rediff Special/Tara Shankar Sahay
'The JMM bribery case has given a setback to the Jharkhand movement'
The tribal Jharkhand agitation being waged in south Bihar's Chotanagpur district is nothing new. It began way back in 1916 when two undergraduates of St Columbus College in Hazaribagh, Paul Deol and Sahay, fought for the rights of the tribals.
Their Adivasi Jagriti Manch (tribal awareness platform) began work on a modest note, but came into the limelight in the late 1980s when Shibu Soren's Jharkhand Mukti Morcha started the agitation for a separate tribal state.
In this interview with Rediff On The NeT's Tara Shankar Sahay, Jharkhand People's Party general secretary Mukesh Baba discuses the movement's future in the light of the JMM MPs bribery case.Excerpts from the conversation:
The Jharkhand agitation has been going on for more than 75 years now, but it has achieved precious little. Why do you think this has happened?
It is true that the Jharkhand movement fluctuated, with various degrees of intensity right from the time it began in 1918. It also merged with the Congress in the early 1950s but gained national prominence under Shibu Soren's leadership. That was in 1989 when Soren began the agitation for a separate Jharkhand state if the tribals were not given their legitimate rights. However, the JMM bribery case has given a setback to the movement, but we in the JPP are determined to carry on the struggle and achieve our goal.
Don't you think that Soren and his JMM colleagues have given a bad name to the Jharkhand movement by allegedly accepting bribes to save the minority Congress government in 1993?
Yes, the matter has retarded our movement's progress. This is what happens when elected representatives of the adivasis become corrupt. The interests of the Jharkhand agitation were sold out and the culprits have to take the blame.
Will the agitationists ever forgive those involved in the JMM bribery case?
No, I don't think so. When the people repose their faith in you, you'd better be sincere. Otherwise you will have to reckon with their ire.
Now that Shibu Soren is involved in the JMM bribery case, is there any other tribal leader who can step into this shoes?
I often told Soren that while he is the only leader of his kind there would be many of the likes of Suraj Mandal and Simon Marandi. Unfortunately, Soren is also involved (in the bribery case) and that has come as a setback to the Jharkhand movement. But I am not a defeatist and believe that our movement will once again gain intensity and another leader will spring up.
Is the Jharkhand movement getting any support from the United Front government, headed by I K Gujral?
I am sorry to say that while the UF government harps a lot on dalits and social justice, it has not done anything to help out the adivasis who, I believe, are the real dalits. There is only talk and more talk. It was the same with former Bihar chief minister Laloo Prasad Yadav, who had said earlier that the Jharkhandis would gain autonomy over his dead body. But he was forced to give us concessions when our movement burst forth strongly. Now the BJP is criticising our movement.
Can you elaborate what you said about the BJP and the Jharkhand agitation?
The BJP has sought to criticise the Jharkhand movement by saying that it is being helped by Christian missionaries. The BJP is trying to give it a religious twist. But what is wrong in the adivasis being helped by Christian missionaries? Instead of helping them, the BJP is just criticising. But I can tell you that for a poor adivasi who has neither clothes nor food the Christian missionaries are feeding and clothing them and these are more important to them than just religious raving and ranting as done by the BJP. I think the Christian missionaries are doing a great service to the tribals.
What is your plan now?
We want development of the tribals. For this, we are ready to struggle for a separate tribal state. There is simply no development in the tribal region. You have to fight for what you want. Sometime ago, the Jharkhandis also resorted to a movement to throw out outsiders in the tribal region and to implement the son-of-the soil principle. I remember that there was some violence. As a result of this, some developmental work took place in the tribal belt, with some roads being built in the inner rural areas.
Is it a fact that the JPP's youth wing demanded protection money from some businessmen in Ranchi?
No, this is a canard without any basis.
But there have been allegations that the JPP has resorted to violence to frighten all those staying in tribal areas who are not tribals?
Please cite any example in this connection. I can tell you that these things are being spread by vested interests who did want our movement to go on.
Do you mean to say that no leader in this country was sympathetic to the Jharkhand movement?
No, I didn't say that. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was sympathetic to us. During his visit to Ranchi, Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan spoke of the desirability of having a separate tribal state so that the region could develop. But vested interests don't want to see us prospering. They put a spoke in our wheel whenever the opportunity presented itself.
But if your overriding concern is having a separate tribal state, do you think that the central authorities will allow such a scheme of things?
I think that if you set a goal, you will achieve at least a part of it... When we are consistently ignored in the state and at the Centre, we have very little option but to struggle for our own state.
Where does your party get its funds from?
We have almost 200,000 members who have contributed Rs 2 each to the party. Besides, there are some NGOs which are helping us. I must add that we don't need enormous amounts of money for our purpose. We will be satisfied if we can achieve our target.
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