slotbet Jharkhand’s ‘Abua Government’ Faces Backlash From Munda Community Over Cabinet Exclusion

Turatan hails from the Torpa block in Jharkhand’s Khunti district. In the state’s 81-member Assembly, the two seats of Torpa and Khunti fall within this district. Both the constituencies have witnessed a political tug-of-war between the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). Since the state’s formation, Torpa has seen a split in victories, with each party winning twice out of the four elections held until 2019.

However, the Khunti seat had been firmly in the BJP’s control. The saffron party has bagged the seat in all four elections since the state’s formation.

A powerful wave of support for Hemant Soren changed the political landscape in the 2024 elections, when the BJP’s longstanding dominance in Khunti was overturned. Not only did this shift cost the BJP its seat in the Jharkhand Assembly, but it also ended the party’s uninterrupted winning streak in the Lok Sabha elections from the constituency, where it had triumphed eight times in a row.

A recurring theme in analysing this seismic change was the overwhelming opposition to the BJP within Khunti, particularly from the Munda community, which constitutes the highest tribal population in the state (74%). This shift in allegiance helped propel the JMM to victory, with voters like Turatan, one of the thousands of Mundas, choosing to back the India alliance over the BJP.

READ | Jharkhand Elections 2024: Hemant And Kalpana Soren Emerge Victorious As JMM Retains Control

However, Turatan and many others from his community, despite this significant contribution to the JMM’s success, feel overlooked and aggrieved. Their dissatisfaction stems from the fact that no Munda leader was appointed to the ministry in Hemant Soren-led INDIA alliance government.

Turatan, 51, expresses his discontent clearly. “The ticket was given to people (candidates from Khunti and Torpa) who could not strongly represent the Munda community. They could not demand a ministerial position. They won due to party banners and circumstances. My personal opinion is that the Munda community was not given a ministerial position because the JMM is afraid that they would rise and take over,” he says.

This issue of the Munda community’s exclusion from ministerial positions is a topic of heated discussion in Turatan’s village of Satal. The discontent is not confined to the village but has found a strong voice on social media, where many have been questioning Hemant Soren’s decisions regarding representation. Gladson Dungdung, founder of the Tribal Think Tank and an author, has been particularly vocal. In a series of social media posts, he criticised the government and warned that neglecting the Munda community could backfire on the JMM.

READ | Jharkhand Elections: Why Jairam Mahato Couldn’t Make A Dent

“The slogan ‘Abua Disum, Abua Raj’ (our land, our rule) was given by the earth’s god, Birsa Munda, and was adopted by Marang Gomke Jai Pal Singh Munda during the Jharkhand statehood movement. Now Hemant Soren claims his government is the ‘Abua government’, but it is unfortunate that the Munda community, who raised this slogan and fought the Ulgulan (rebellion), has no representation in the Cabinet of the ‘Abua government’,” he points out.

The Tribal Think Tank has been vocal in its demand for a Munda community member to be appointed as a minister and has expressed hope that the cabinet will undergo a reshuffle to accommodate this long-standing request.

Known as 'The Wall' for his impeccable skills in front of the goalpost, Sreejesh was instrumental in guiding the team through remarkable successes, including two Asian Games gold medals, and two Champions Trophy silver medals.

Birsa Munda, born in 1875 in Ulhatu village in Khunti, is venerated as a god by tribal communities not only in Jharkhand but across India. His leadership during the Ulgulan rebellion against the British remains a defining moment in tribal history. His slogan ‘Abua Disum, Abua Raj’ continues to resonate even today.

After the INDIA bloc (the JMM, the Congress, the RJD, the CPI-ML) secured a sweeping victory with 56 seats, Hemant Soren named his second term as the “Abua government”. The slogan was prominently displayed during the oath-taking ceremony. The capital was decorated in its honor. Yet, the exclusion of the Munda community, the third-largest tribal group in Jharkhand, from the government has sparked controversy.

According to the 2011 Census, the largest tribal group in the state is the Santhal community (28.25 lakh), followed by the Uraon (17.44 lakh) and Munda (12.52 lakh) communities.

Of the 12 ministers in the current cabinet, five are from the tribal community: two Santhals, two Uraons and one Ho. Yet, none hail from the Munda community.

Dr Sanjay Basu Mallick, a Jharkhand movement activist, offers a possible explanation for the absence of Munda representation in the cabinet. He suggests that the Munda community has not been as strong a voting bloc for the JMM as other tribal groups. “The Munda community was with the Congress for a long time. When they became disillusioned with the Congress, the JMM could not fill the gap. As a result, they leaned towards the BJP. However, despite shifting alliances, the Munda community has always united on the issue of tribal identity. They feel that their tribal identity was threatened by the BJP, so their votes shifted to the India alliance this time,” he explains.

The Munda community is primarily concentrated in Jharkhand’s Chotanagpur plateau, with Khunti being their central region, along with significant populations in Ranchi and Simdega. For years, BJP-led governments have dominated the state, with Arjun Munda, a prominent Munda leader, serving as the chief minister three times. Even when BJP’s Babulal Marandi and Raghubar Das led the state, the Munda community was always represented in the cabinet. However, under Hemant Soren’s government, no Munda has been appointed as a minister.

In the 2024 Jharkhand Assembly elections, the INDIA bloc won 27 out of the 28 tribal reserved seats. Five Munda community members were elected, with the JMM securing both the Khunti seats by defeating the BJP. Despite these victories, no Munda representatives were included in the cabinet. Notably, Ramsurya Munda and Sudip Gudia, who won from Khunti and Torpa respectively, are relatively unknown in the political sphere. They lack prior legislative experience. In contrast, Vikas Kumar Munda and Naman Vixal Kongari, who have won multiple terms from Tamad and Kolebira respectively, were seen as potential candidates for a cabinet position.

Naman Vixal Kongari, one of the most prominent Munda leaders, was considered a frontrunner for a cabinet post. “The Munda community has a history of patience and sacrifice. We have a unique identity in the state’s political struggle. We are optimistic that opportunities will arise, and we still have five years to go,” he says.

Dr Santosh Kumar Kido, head of the Journalism and Mass Communication Department at St. Xavier College, Ranchi, offers a different perspective. He believes Hemant Soren’s cabinet is balanced and that those opposing the exclusion of the Munda community might be misunderstanding the issue. “The Munda community is large, and it includes Santhali, Ho, Kharia, Bhumij and even Khasi people. You cannot isolate them from the larger tribal group. So, it is incorrect to say that the Munda community was ignored. However, if the argument is that no Munda from Khunti was given a ministerial post, then that is a valid question,” he argues.

The political legacy of the Munda community is rich and profound. Birsa Munda’s slogan was carried forward by Marang Gomke Jai Pal Singh Munda, a central figure in the Jharkhand statehood movement. Other influential figures from the Munda community, such as N.E. Hero and Dr. Ram Dayal Munda, also played vital roles in the struggle for tribal rights.

Karriya Munda, a prominent BJP leader and seven-time MP from Khunti, expressed his disappointment over the exclusion of Munda ministers. “The public rejected us (BJP), but why did not those who won with JMM votes make a Munda a minister? This is something Hemant Soren should explain. Birsa Munda and Jai Pal Singh Munda’s legacy is celebrated in banners and hoardings, but not in their hearts.”

In Jharkhand politics, the Santhal community has dominated, with four of the seven chief ministers coming from their ranks. The legacy of Birsa Mundaslotbet, however, continues to influence political campaigns. Figures such as President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah recently visited Birsa Munda’s birthplace in Ulhatu to launch various initiatives in his honor. Hemant Soren’s government, too, has rolled out several programmes to honor Birsa Munda’s legacy, even naming his second term as the ‘Abua Government’. It underscores the continued importance of this historical personality in Jharkhand’s political narrative.