Jharkhand polls: How tribal identity took centrestage of BJP, Congress campaigns

With the first phase of polling set to take place on November 13 in Jharkhand, the war of words has escalated between the Congress and the BJP leaders. At root of the campaign by both the groupings, lies the tribal identity. The JMM-Congress alliance claims to represent it and protect their rights, the BJP is accusing the ruling dispensation of changing the demography of the state with outsiders settling here.

The campaign for the first phase polling on 43 seats will end on Monday evening. Both sides deputed their senior leaders to last minute impact. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP chief J.P. Nadda led the charge from the BJP, while Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister Hemant Soren have gone into attacking mode.

Addressing rallies in the state, Home Minister Amit Shah accused the JMM-Congress government of corruption citing a number of cases against their leaders in the state. As Rahul Gandhi has been insisting on holding a caste census to give all the communities their due, Shah said the Congress was against the OBC and was dividing the society, instead wanted to give reservations to Muslims by cutting down on quota for the dalits, tribals and the OBCs.

“In Maharashtra, a group of Ulemas sent a memorandum to the Congress party demanding 10 per cent reservation for Muslims, and the state president of the Congress party said that we will help you in this. I ask the people of Jharkhand that if Muslims get 10 per cent reservation, then whose reservation will be reduced?,” Shah said during a rally in Jharkhand on Saturday.

Shah said Rahul Gandhi has insulted Baba Saheb Ambedkar and the Vidhan Sabha by waving a fake Constitution.

Gandhi who is leading the campaign from the INDIA Bloc side accused the BJP of trying to usurp the tribal identity. “They call you (tribals) ‘Vanvasi’ instead of ‘Advasi’ so that you will be termed as residents of the forests with no rights over them, " Gandhi said.

The leader of opposition said that as OBCs, Dalits, tribals and minorities constitute 90 per cent of the population, yet their representation was less in the administrative, judicial, other wings of the government and even media. We will conduct a caste census to bring out the truth. We will increase reservation for all, be it OBCs, Dalits and tribals.

“The tribal reservation will be increased from 26 per cent to 28 per cent, SC reservation from 10 per cent to 12 per cent and OBC 14 per cent to 27 per cent,” Gandhi promised. 

The election campaign has also become a competition in promising freebies. The BJP is promising to give Rs 2,100 to all the women every month, along with a gas cylinder for Rs 500, the Congress is promising Rs 2,500 and health insurance for Rs 15 lakhs.

BJP also promised to give Rs 2,000 per month to every youth. “5 lakh jobs will be created in 5 years and appointments will be made in a transparent manner on 2 lakh 87 thousand posts,” Shah said.

Shah said the stamp duty will be reduced to Rs 1 on purchasing property up to Rs 50 lakh in the name of “mothers and sisters” and rehabilitation will be ensured before resettlement. Ten new medical colleges will be built and Jharkhand will be made corruption free. The monthly pension of old, widow and disabled people will be increased to 2,500 and internship and skill training centers will also be built in Jharkhand.

Rahul countered the BJP offer by saying that their government is going to give Rs 3,200 per quintal MSP to the farmers for paddy. “Gas cylinder for Rs 450. College in every block and professional college at district level, 500 acre industrial park in every district and we are promising to give employment to one million youth here.”

The competing narrative in the election campaign may have an impact on the polling percentage, one getting the benefit may form the government after November 23.