Tuhin Sinha contests Jharkhand CM Soren's 'Adivasis aren't Hindus' view; challenges him

Author and BJP leader Tuhin Sinha on Thursday challenged Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren to an open debate over his recent remark that tribal people "were never Hindus". Taking to his Twitter handle, Sinha said that Jharkhand CM Soren's comment was not supported by existing practices of Hindus and tribal people, or "historical evidence of shared practices between the two communities." He referenced a column he had written in ThePrint to make his arguments.

Sinha contests Soren's for his views on 'Are Adivasis Hindus?'

Tuhin Sinha delved into history and recounted, "Birsa Munda's mentor in the early 1890s after he shunned Christianity and walked out the Chaibasa Missionary school, was a Vaishnavite preacher, Anand Panrai." He added, "It was the time spent with this preacher, who employed learning from Bhagwad Gita and generously quoted anecdotes from the Ramayan and Mahabharat, that led to a spiritual transformation in Birsa, evident and documented from 1894 onwards. At no point in Birsa Munda's life is there any definitive antipathy towards Hinduism."

Birsa Munda was a tribal leader in 19th century Jharkhand and continues to be a revered figure for the tribal population of the state even today. 

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Sinha's challenge to Hemant Soren comes after the Jharkhand CM while attending the 18th Annual India Conference at Harvard University in February was asked whether tribal people were Hindus or not. Jharkhand CM Soren, in response to this question, had replied "Adivasis were never Hindus and they never will be".

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Also during the virtual conference, the Chief Minister also criticised the central government claiming that it has removed the "others" column emong religions in the Census forms. He had further asked, "Where will the Adivasis go, whether he will write Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Muslim or Christian."

Taking on the JMM-Congress alliance in Jharkhand, Sinha said "one is not sure what makes Soren base his claims on feeble, fallible arguments unless he has been forced to borrow the naiveté of his alliance partner - Rahul Gandhi." Hemant Soren's Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) is in alliance with the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) of Lalu Prasad, the former Chief Minister who is serving a jail term in a corruption case. The BJP is the main Opposition party in Jharkhand.

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