Whereas the Jharkhandi Adivasi/Moolvasi have been the ultimate victims of corruption, the outsiders who seem concerned about peace and harmony are the actual beneficiaries of corruption.

The exploitation by the banias and sahukars (traders and middlemen) of the simple Adivasi, especially Adivasi women, in the village markets should be condemned. Sights of the henchmen of the banias snatching chickens from Adivasi women and throwing paltry sums of money at them are heart-rending.

It is the Jharkhandi Adivasis and Moolvasis, who struggled for a separate state over the past 50 years. Many are martyrs, who have laid down their lives for the cause.

During this time, the non-Jharkhandis not only participated in the struggle, but were also opposed to it. When Jharkhand became a separate state on November 15, 2000, there were many hopes and aspirations that the Jharkhandis cherished for their economic, social and cultural development and well being. But all that have been dashed to the ground.

The Jharkhandi Adivasi/Moolvasi people have been pushed against the wall. They can go no further. They have suffered in silence for too long waiting for justice.

The domicile and reservation issue, protests against attempts by BJP-led government to amend the Chhotanagpur and the Santhal Pargana Tenancy Acts, sinister efforts by the illegally-constituted JPSC to appoint outsiders as primary school teachers despite the accepted policy of the mother tongue of children to be the medium of instruction, the government-sponsored Hindutva Parivar’s action to Hinduise the Adivasi, the deliberate reluctance of the bureaucracy to restore the illegally-alienated Adivasi land, to force panchayat elections in the Scheduled Areas regardless of the parliamentary Act against it, are some of the reasons that provoke the Jharkhandi Adivasi/Moolvasi people to declare war on the state government. It has brought together the Adivasi, Moolvasi and the Dalit people of Jharkhand.

Unfortunately, the Jharkhandis cannot look up to the political parties to provide inspiration and leadership because the priority of the parties is to win elections and gain power.

They would rather need to look into the emerging people’s movements and organisations led by young committed women and men. They will need to plan and formulate their long-term goals and short-term strategies.

It is urgent that the struggle of the Jharkhandi people should reach the villages and not remain restricted only to towns and cities.

In planning their programmes of action, the activists should not be distracted by the government’s policies and laws. Rather, the base of their organised action should be the assertion of their human and traditional rights and the means of achieving them should be by their organised people’s power.

(The writer is a human rights activist. The views are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper)