Former Jharkhand CM Champai Soren dropped a political bombshell, branding the PESA rulebook a ‘cheat code’ designed to shortchange the state’s tribal heartland. Addressing supporters in Dumka, the Santhal Pargana stronghold, Soren painted a grim picture of how the draft undermines the constitutional safeguard meant to fortify Adivasi self-rule.
At the core of his ire: provisions that subordinate Gram Sabhas to block development officers and the glaring omission of veto rights against anti-tribal projects. ‘This is betrayal wrapped in bureaucracy,’ Soren declared, vowing to lead a signature campaign to withdraw the notification. His words echo the frustrations of communities reeling from enforced land pools for Adani’s Godda power plant and Vedanta’s exploratory drills.
The PESA saga traces back to 2019 when Champai Soren, then a minister, pushed for rules, only for the process to stall under his own brief tenure. Now, with Hemant Soren back at the helm, the draft has reignited old feuds. JMM insiders see it as BJP’s ploy to poach tribal MLAs ahead of polls.
Congress piled on the rebuttal, with leader Amba Prasad branding Soren’s claims ‘fabricated nonsense.’ ‘PESA empowers tribals like never before—Soren’s just fishing for headlines,’ Prasad retorted, citing clauses on money lending bans and forest rights enforcement. The party, eyeing tribal consolidation, plans town halls to build support.
Beyond rhetoric, the stakes are sky-high. Jharkhand’s Fifth Schedule status demands robust PESA adherence, as reiterated by the National Tribal Commission. Activists warn that flawed rules could invite judicial intervention, delaying development. As dissident voices amplify, the government faces a litmus test: will it heed the tribals or bulldoze ahead? In this powder keg state, PESA could prove the spark.