Stephen

Babulal

Ranchi, May 22: The Marandi versus Marandi war intensified today with JMM veteran and leader of the Opposition Stephen Marandi claiming that former chief minister Babulal Marandi was a “baptised Christian”.

The announcement came a day after Babulal Marandi had challenged the JMM strongman to prove that there was a difference between followers of Sarna and Hinduism.

The contention of the former chief minister, who was a Vishwa Hindu Parishad pracharak before joining the BJP, was an extension of the RSS’ viewpoint on the identity of tribals.

The BJP leader had claimed that tribals, by faith, were Hindus who worshiped nature in various forms as espoused in the old “Sanatani” norms.

Posing a list of 16 questions to “test” the Santhali credentials of the JMM leader, Babulal Marandi had said the Santhal way of life was no different from that of the Hindus and a lack of faith in one automatically ostracised the “non-believer”.

Stephen Marandi today got back to him and said the former chief minister was deliberately raking up “petty religious issues” to play to the galleries as part of a wider BJP gameplan.

Declaring that he had no intention to answer any of the questions posed by Babulal Marandi, the JMM leader said attempts were being made to drive a wedge in the undivided Santhali society of which he was a part.

Asked if he regarded tribals as Hindus, the JMM leader said that according to anthropologists, the way of life of tribals was quite different from that of the Hindus. He said tribal “religion” and customs had a distinct identity.

“As far as my knowledge goes, tribals are not Hindus,” said the JMM veteran, a tribal Christian, and several years senior to Babulal Marandi in politics.

He claimed that Babulal Marandi was a Christian, having been baptised in a church in Santhal Pargana.

“The baptism took place long before Marandi joined politics and even prior to his joining the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. We are looking for Church records to prove that Babulal Marandi was baptised. We would soon come out with a copy of the baptism certificate,” he said.

Stephen Marandi said: “Babulal Marandi’s elder brother had long ago adopted the Christian faith, while one of his sister-in-law is a nun at Holy Cross Convent. I will call on chief minister Arjun Munda to dissolve the Assembly and seek a fresh mandate.”