The Legislative Assembly today passed a much-awaited resolution seeking to empower tribal people to embrace their own dharma (religion) with a constitutional recognition following discussions held in the House.
The resolution passed today would now be sent to the Centre for its approval.
The resolution for which a motion under Rule 185 was moved by TMC legislators Rajib Lochan Soren, Paresh Murmu and Mrityunjoy Murmu, was passed unanimously after an animated discussion, which saw the ruling party legislator and minister Birbaha Hansda fire a “divisive opposition” salvo at the BJP, for trying to tip-toe on the issue allegedly on the pretext of not taking all tribal communities into confidence, which the minister dismissed as being the BJP’s conspiracy to jettison the motion.
Hansda, while making a forceful address decried the centre’s lax attitude on granting the tribal people their own identity of their religion, which was hanging fire for long.
“We are grateful to chief minister Mamata Banerjee for giving the tribal people the identity of their own dharma. Through this motion, the tribal people would for the first time get a taste of their own dharma that eluded them so far. While Sari dharma belonged to Santhals, Sarna menat is religion for the rest of other tribal groups.”
Manoj Tigga, MLA and chief whip of the BJP legislature party, while upholding the spirit of the resolution, however, harped on the necessity of taking all the tribal communities into confidence before firming up this resolution.
“It would have been better, had all the tribal communities been taken into confidence before firming up this resolution,” said Tigga.
Meanwhile, Agnimitra Paul of the BJP today submitted a motion on breach of privilege against Chandrima Bahttacharya, the minister of state for finance for allegedly firing “amanush” slur at the BJP legislator Mihir Goswami.
Bhattacharya, while speaking to news persons said that Goswami had first insulted her during her address but then all the BJP legislators were silent