Skip to main content

Proposed Modi yatra from Jharkhand an 'insult' of Adivasi hero Birsa Munda: JMM

Counterview Desk 
The civil rights network, Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (JMM), which claims to have 30 grassroots groups under its wings, has decided to launch Save Democracy campaign to oppose Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vikasit Bharat Sankalp Yatra to be launched on November 15 from the village of legendary 19th century tribal independence leader Birsa Munda from Ulihatu (Khunti district).
Stating that, through this campaign, it will remind Modi of “nine anti-people actions" taken by his government in the last nine years, which have had a "direct adverse impact" on the people of Jharkhand, JMM said, Modi's yatra, meant as BJP’s campaign for 2024 Lok Sabha polls, is an is an "insult" to the memory of Birsa Munda and Adivasis in backdrop of Central government erasing Adivasi rights on “water, forests, minerals and land.”

Text:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to launch the ‘Vikasit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’ from village of Birsa Munda, Ulihatu (Khunti) on 15 November 2023. Although this campaign is showcased to highlight the achievements of the central government, but in reality this is a part of the BJP’s campaign for the 2024 parliamentary elections. To give a BJP color to the programme, government officials were designated as ‘Rath Prabhari,’ which was changed to nodal officers after public pressure. This entourage is nothing but a waste of public money to burnish Modi's image and is a hindrance in government work. The Modi government keeps making world records in publicity.
This journey is being deliberately started by the Prime Minister from Jharkhand, that too from the birthplace of Birsa Munda, who is the national hero of Adivasis. The display of respect for this great hero is part of the BJP’s ongoing efforts to attract Adivasis in their fold. Through this campaign, Modi wants to become Prime Minister for the third time by winning as many parliamentary seats as possible in Jharkhand.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP do not have the moral right to launch this yatra from Ulihatu. They do not recognize the independent identity of Adivasis, who they address as ‘Vanvasi’ (forest dwellers) and try to erase their religion and culture by declaring them as part of the Sanatan Dharma. By creating conflict between Sarna and Christian Adivasis, the BJP has been consistently trying to weaken Adivasi solidarity and establish the dominance of the Brahmanical caste system. The Modi government allowed state-supported pogrom of Adivasis in Manipur and BJP leaders are trying their best to spread community and religion-based hatred by using Manipur as an example in Jharkhand. Even after all this, Modi is trying to seek the votes of Adivasis in the name of ‘Janjati Gaurav Diwas’.
The Adivasis in Jharkhand are fighting for their rights over water, forests, minerals and land, and the Modi government is erasing these rights. The Modi government did not even accept the Land Acquisition Act of 2013, which has some progressive provisions. Despite widespread public opposition, it repeatedly brought an arbitrary Land Acquisition Ordinance that could not be passed due to Adivasis’ opposition. By amending the forest conservation law, the Modi government has decided to hand over the forests to the corporates by snatching away the rights of the Gram Sabha over the forest land and resources acquired under the Forest Rights Act.
Through the Swamitwa Card scheme, which was piloted in Khunti itself, a conspiracy has been hatched to snatch the public land of the village from the control of the Adivasis and to weaken the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act and Santhal Parganas Tenancy (CNT-SPT) law and Khuntkatti system. Godda MP Nishikant Dubey, a favorite of Narendra Modi and Gautam Adani, even expressed a resolve to abolish the Fifth Schedule and CNT-SPT Act. In 2017-18, the BJP's double engine government had repressed thousands of Adivasis who carried out Patthalgadi, by declaring them seditious and putting many in jail. The BJP's double engine government had also repressed those who opposed the amendments to the CNT-SPT Acts. According to popular opinion in Khunti, the BJP could win the Khunti Lok Sabha elections in 2019 by a narrow margin only after manipulating the counting process.
In the last nine years, instead of making Jharkhand and India a developed area, Modi has pushed India – and especially Jharkhand – towards destruction. The rights of the poor, the deprived, the workers and the farmers have been weakened. There has been a massive cut in the budget of welfare schemes like MGNREGA, social security pension, the anganwadi programme etc. The development that has taken place has been only in the wealth of a few capitalists, particularly Ambani and Adani. There has been a massive increase in the wealth of the BJP also. On the other hand, there has been no increase in the real wages of rural laborers during these nine years. The Modi government has further torn apart the socio-religious fabric of the country.
The 'Loktantra Bachao 2024' campaign wants to remind Prime Minister Modi, before the inauguration of the ‘Vikasit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’, of nine anti-people actions taken by his government in the last nine years, which have had a direct adverse impact on the people of Jharkhand (list attached). If the Prime Minister has any shame, he should not make public appearances in Jharkhand.

Comments

Post a Comment

TRENDING

From plagiarism to proxy exams: Galgotias and systemic failure in education

By Sandeep Pandey*   Shock is being expressed at Galgotias University being found presenting a Chinese-made robotic dog and a South Korean-made soccer-playing drone as its own creations at the recently held India AI Impact Summit 2026, a global event in New Delhi. Earlier, a UGC-listed journal had published a paper from the university titled “Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis,” which became the subject of widespread ridicule. Following the robotic dog controversy coming to light, the university has withdrawn the paper. These incidents are symptoms of deeper problems afflicting the Indian education system in general. Galgotias merely bit off more than it could chew.
5 comments
»

Farewell to Saleem Samad: A life devoted to fearless journalism

By Nava Thakuria*  Heartbreaking news arrived from Dhaka as the vibrant city lost one of its most active and committed citizens with the passing of journalist, author and progressive Bangladeshi national Saleem Samad. A gentleman who always had issues to discuss with anyone, anywhere and at any time, he passed away on 22 February 2026 while undergoing cancer treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He was 74. 
Post a Comment
»

From ancient wisdom to modern nationhood: The Indian story

By Syed Osman Sher  South of the Himalayas lies a triangular stretch of land, spreading about 2,000 miles in each direction—a world of rare magic. It has fired the imagination of wanderers, settlers, raiders, traders, conquerors, and colonizers. They entered this country bringing with them new ethnicities, cultures, customs, religions, and languages.
Post a Comment
»

Sergei Vasilyevich Gerasimov, the artist who survived Stalin's cultural purges

By Harsh Thakor*  Sergei Vasilyevich Gerasimov (September 14, 1885 – April 20, 1964) was a Soviet artist, professor, academician, and teacher. His work was posthumously awarded the Lenin Prize, the highest artistic honour of the USSR. His paintings traced the development of socialist realism in the visual arts while retaining qualities drawn from impressionism. Gerasimov reconciled a lyrical approach to nature with the demands of Soviet socialist ideology.
Post a Comment
»

The 'glass cliff' at Galgotias: How a university’s AI crisis became a gendered blame game

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan*  “She was not aware of the technical origins of the product and in her enthusiasm of being on camera, gave factually incorrect information.” These were the words used in the official press release by Galgotias University following the controversy at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi. The statement came across as defensive, petty, and deeply insensitive.
3 comments
»

Public money, private profits: Crop insurance scheme as goldmine for corporates

By Vikas Meshram   The farmer in India is not merely a food provider; he is the soul of the nation. For centuries, enduring natural calamities and bearing debt generation after generation while remaining loyal to the soil, this community now finds itself trapped in a different kind of crisis. In February 2016, the Modi government launched the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) with the stated objective of freeing farmers from the shackles of debt. It was an ambitious attempt to provide a strong safety net to cultivators repeatedly devastated by excessive rainfall, drought, and hailstorms.
Post a Comment
»

Development at what cost? The budget's blind spot for the environment

By Raj Kumar Sinha*  The historical ills in the relationship between capital and the environment have now manifested in areas commonly referred to as the "environmental crisis." This includes global warming, the destruction of the ozone layer, the devastation of tropical forests, mass mortality of fish, species extinction, loss of biodiversity, poison seeping into the atmosphere and food, desertification, shrinking water supplies, lack of clean water, and radioactive pollution. 
Post a Comment
»

Conversion laws and national identity: A Jesuit response response to the Hindutva narrative

By Rajiv Shah  A recent book, " Luminous Footprints: The Christian Impact on India ", authored by two Jesuit scholars, Dr. Lancy Lobo and Dr. Denzil Fernandes , seeks to counter the current dominant narrative on Indian Christians , which equates evangelisation with conversion, and education, health and the social services provided by Christians as meant to lure -- even force -- vulnerable sections into Christianity.
2 comments
»

'Policy long overdue': Coalition of 29 experts tells JP Nadda to act on SC warning label order

By A Representative   In a significant development for public health, the Supreme Court of India has directed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to seriously consider implementing mandatory front-of-pack warning labels on pre-packaged food products. The order, passed by a bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan on February 10, 2026, comes as the Court expressed dissatisfaction with the regulatory body's progress on the issue.
Post a Comment
»