Ranchi, March 6: Cardinal Telesphore P Toppo has iterated his concern about the amendments to the SPT and CNT acts, saying tribals would be rendered landless after the new tenancy laws came into effect.

"What is happening is not good. People need to understand the history that went into the making of the CNT and SPT acts. Both these tenancy laws were brought in to protect alienation of tribals from their ancestral land and properties," Toppo told The Telegraph today, two days after he and other church leaders met Governor Droupadi Murmu at Raj Bhavan and asked her not to ratify the changes.

The ruling BJP has reacted strongly to his statements, with state party president Laxman Gilua alleging that the leaders of the church were playing politics for personal gain.

"The cardinal's claim that tribals would be losing their land following the amendments is baseless. The fact is that ownership rights of tribals and original natives would remain intact and they will legally be able to make commercial use of their land after the amended laws come into force... The BJP advises them (church leaders) not to mislead the masses for personal gains," said a party communiqué issued on Sunday.

But undeterred by the criticism from the BJP, Toppo maintained the laws, although old, had not lost their relevance. "The Santhal Parganas Tenancy Act was originally passed in 1855, while the Chhotanagpur Tenancy (CNT) Act was promulgated in 1908. Though these tenancy laws are more than a hundred years old, they have not become archaic," the cardinal said.

Saddened by the war of words that has erupted, Toppo said the tribes needed to be taken into confidence at the first instance, before changes in tenancy laws were contemplated.

"The changes sought to be made in the CNT and SPT acts would ultimately result in large scale displacement of tribals. The proposed changes would also see a rapid change in the status of tribals _ from landowners to landless labourers _ forcing them to flee to other cities in search of jobs," the Cardinal said.

He said according to laws of natural justice, the rights of tribes over their land were inalienable. "There is, therefore, an urgent need to protect tribes and their land. The tribes need to be made partners in progress. Hence, tribes should have been taken into confidence before the changes in tenancy laws were brought about," the Cardinal said, adding that it was counter productive to divide tribes on the basis of religion.

"The truth shall ultimately prevail," he stressed.

Cardinal Toppo and seven bishops from Jharkhand met Murmu on March 4. Among those who signed the memo they handed over to her were Felix Toppo (Jamshedpur), Vincent Barwa (Simdega), Julius Marandi (Dumka), Paul Lakra (Gumla), Binay Kandulna (Khunti), Anand Jojo (Hazaribagh), and Telesphore Bilung, auxiliary bishop to the cardinal.

The BJP continued with its criticism of the bishops today. Party general secretary Deepak Prakash claimed that the majority of the state's tribals were happy with the amendments and that there was no dissension within the party on the issue.

"The Church is upset because their foreign funding through NGOs would be dented severely after the amended laws came into force," he alleged but did not elaborate how.

Kendriya Sarna Samiti members also staged a dharna at Albert Ekka Chowk to protest against the Cardinal's conduct.

State Congress president Sukhdeo Bhagat, however, demanded that the BJP apologise to the cardinal. "He (Cardinal) is a son of the soil and a tribal. He understands the problems poor tribals will be facing after the amendments come into force," he added.