Congress Holds Statewide Protest Demanding Sarna Religion Code

Ranchi: The Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee (JPCC) organized a statewide protest today as part of its pre-announced programme, demanding the recognition of the Sarna religion code in the national census. The protest took place in front of Raj Bhavan, Ranchi.

Hundreds of Congress workers from across Jharkhand participated in the rally, which began at Congress Bhavan. Dressed in traditional tribal attire, the protesters marched in solidarity. The demonstration was led by JPCC President Keshav Mahto Kamlesh, with senior Congress leaders such as AICC permanent invitee and Jharkhand in-charge K. Raju, co-incharge Dr. Sirivella Prasad, and Pranav Jha present as chief guests.

Addressing the gathering, K. Raju said that the demand for a Sarna religion code is a fundamental right of the tribal communities, and Congress is committed to safeguarding it. “We’ve raised this issue time and again, and now we’ve taken to the streets. We will also protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and meet the President of India to press for its implementation,” he stated.

Raju added, “Just as public pressure forced the repeal of the farm laws and the approval of the caste-based census, we will ensure the inclusion of the Sarna religion in the seventh column of the census. Tribal identity must not be erased.”

JPCC President Keshav Mahto Kamlesh accused the central government of conspiring against the rights and identity of tribal people. “The state assembly passed a resolution for the Sarna code and forwarded it to the Centre, but the Modi government treats tribals as mere vote banks. Their slogan ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ is a false promise—they actually aim to suppress tribals, Dalits, and minorities,” he alleged.

AICC Secretary Pranav Jha said that tribals are the original inhabitants of India, worshippers of nature, and have been consistently discriminated against by the BJP, which prefers the term “Vanvasi” over “Adivasi.”
Minister Radhakrishna Kishore declared, “The time for requests is over—now is the time for action. The Congress is fully prepared to fight for the Sarna religion code.”

Minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey added, “The Sarna religion is our identity. The central government refuses to recognize tribal priests, religious sites, and customs. This reflects their deep-rooted bias against tribals.”

The protest was coordinated by JPCC Working President Shahzada Anwar. Several senior leaders addressed the crowd, including Bandhu Tirkey, Dr. Rameshwar Oraon, Viksal Kongadi, Bhushan Bara, Mamta Devi, Rajesh Thakur, Dr. Pradeep Balmuchu, Furkan Ansari, Subodh Kant Sahay, Badal Patralekh, K.N. Tripathi, Kedar Paswan, Gunjan Singh, Josai Mardi, Rajiv Ranjan Prasad, Ravindra Singh, Rakesh Sinha, Satish Paul Munjini, Sanjay Lal Paswan, Abhilash Sahu, Rajan Verma, Jay Shankar Pathak, Alok Kumar Dubey, Dr. Rajesh Gupta, Lal Kishore Nath Shahdeo, Gajendra Singh, Dr. Kumar Raja, and Dr. Rakesh Kiran Mahto.