The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has reacted sharply to the allegations levelled by former BJP Chief Minister Raghubar Das on the Hemant government in Jharkhand. The partys general secretary cum spokesperson Vinod Kumar Pandey said that the BJP and Raghubar Das only want to take political advantage of the issues of the tribal society, not provide solutions. Vinod Pandey said that Raghubar Das is remembering the PESA law now, whereas not a single concrete step was taken in this direction during his entire tenure. He asked that if he was so concerned about the tribal society, then why did the BJP government not implement the PESA law during 2014 to 2019? BJP leaders should tell whether they have taken any initiative for Sarna-Tribal Religion Code or PESA rules anywhere in Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha? The JMM general secretary said that the BJP is not interested in the original spirit of the PESA Act, but in twisting it according to its agenda. He said that the Hemant government is working seriously on the PESA rules and after completion of all the legal procedures, the process is now at the final stage. He said, "Our Chief Minister Hemant Soren himself is a tribal, a follower of Sarna religion, and the BJP does not like this. That is why they are trying to confuse the society." Pandey accused the BJP of dividing the tribal society in the name of foreign religion and original religion. He said that this is the same BJP, which has been raising doubts over the citizenship, employment and rights of tribals by calling them Christians. "Now an attempt is being made to communally polarize by wrapping the PESA Act in the sheet of religion, which we will not tolerate," he added. Pandey said that Raghuvar Das should explain why there was no attempt to implement the PESA law for five years during his rule? In 2016, when there was a BJP government at the Center, why was PESA not implemented in Jharkhand? The JMM general secretary said that it was this party that created the state of Jharkhand and always fought for the identity, language, culture and self-governance of the tribal society. "We have taken the voice of Sarna Code to the Parliament. In 2020, a resolution was passed in the Jharkhand Assembly and sent to the Central Government, which is still buried in the files of the Central Government." He said that before speaking on PESA, Sarna Code, or other rights of the tribal society, the BJP should introspect what it did in the previous rule. The JMM General Secretary said that "Today when the Hemant government is giving priority to tribal interests on every front, the BJP is feeling uneasy. But the tribal society has now understood who is with them and who only does politics in their name."

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