The tribal world of Jharkhand, it seems, is up for grabs. The sangh parivar and the left are competing for the soul ? some would say, the votes ? of the state?s tribal population. Each side is questioning the other?s right to champion the tribals? cause. The Bharatiya Janata Party wants to prove its pro-tribal credentials by organizing a rally in Ranchi. The left plans a state-wide bandh the same day to oppose the BJP?s rally. Obviously, the left?s idea is to project itself as the true friend of the tribals. The BJP?s accusation of the left being ?agents? of Christian missionaries gives away its main strategy for tribal politics. The saffron view of India?s tribal world always centred on a conspiracy theory. The BJP and its sister organizations argued that Christian missionaries had lured the tribal people into the ?alien? faith by exploiting their poverty. Their creed of political Hindutva made it obligatory for them to re-convert the tribals to their ancient beliefs. The saffronites are not bothered about sceptics who questioned whether it was historically correct to call the tribal people Hindus. They are not ready either to answer questions on whether the BJP-led government in Ranchi had done enough to protect the rights of the tribal people. Its failure to hold the panchayat elections and its decision to dilute the old tenancy laws in tribal-majority parts of the state are two examples of the government?s confused policies.

However, the battle in Jharkhand has a larger political context. In a sense, it is a symbol of a new political process unfolding in different parts of the country. Until recently, it was the sangh parivar that seemed to have a strategy for political mobilization among the tribal people. True to saffron politics, it took the supposedly religious route. But, the left is the latest entrant in this arena. Recent policy documents of both the Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) have projected the so-called tribal issues in a big way. The left has been pushing the United Progressive Alliance government to introduce a bill in parliament to protect these people?s ?right to the forests and their resources?. Last month, the CPI(M) held its first-ever national tribal conference in Madhya Pradesh. All this indicates a new attempt to redefine vote-bank politics. The worry is that this divisive politics may do more harm than good to the tribal people.