Jharkhand Congress demands Sarna religion code in Census, warns against voter list deletions

Ranchi (IANS): The Congress’s Jharkhand unit on Tuesday demanded that the Centre implement a Sarna religion code in the ongoing Census to guarantee a distinct religious identity for tribal communities.

Addressing a press conference at the party office here, state Congress President Keshav Mahto Kamlesh and CLP leader Pradeep Yadav highlighted that more than 1.25 crore people across the country follow the tribal Sarna faith. However, the Central government still excludes a separate code or column for it in Census forms.

The leaders stated that the Central government continues to ignore this decades-old demand from tribal communities. They alleged that the Centre deliberately wants to deny recognition to the independent religious and cultural identity of tribal people, promising that the Congress party will continue to fight for the Sarna code in both the legislature and on the streets.

Turning their attention to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the Congress leaders raised concerns that authorities are deleting a large number of voters across the country. They alleged that this process could unfairly strip crores of citizens of their democratic rights.

With the Election Commission set to launch the voter revision exercise in Jharkhand this June, the party announced it will closely monitor the situation. The leaders added that the Congress has already mobilized its organization down to the booth level to protect voters’ names on the electoral rolls.

The leaders also heavily criticized the Centre’s economic policies and rising inflation. Yadav pointed out that rising prices for fuel and essential commodities continue to squeeze the finances of everyday citizens.

Finally, referring to the alleged NEET paper leak case, the Congress demanded that the Central government launch a fair probe. Yadav stressed that repeated irregularities within the examination system threaten the future of students nationwide.