India’s tribal dominated Jharkhand state has banned people who have more than two children from contesting local body elections, which the local cardinal sees as a way to politically side-line indigenous people who traditionally have large families. The pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party state government has decided to disqualify people with more than two children in local body elections.
“It is a human rights violation,” said Cardinal Telesphore Toppo of Ranchi who is based in the state capital. He said it was ironic that Jharkhand was created 17 years ago to ensure the advancement of indigenous people but now works against their interest. “Restricting our people, who generally have more than two children, to contest the election is blocking our people from coming up in life,” said the local cardinal from Oraon tribe. “The government wants to demoralise and suppress tribal people and crush any emerging leadership,” said the first tribal cardinal from Asia. Anabel Benjamin Bara, who teaches at the Jesuit-run Xavier School of Management, Tribal people, including church groups and Cardinal Toppo, had campaigned against the amendments ever since the state legislature passed them in November.
Mineral-rich Jharkhand has some 9 million tribal people, who form 26 percent of the state’s 33 million population. About 1.5 million people in the state are Christians, at least half of them Catholics.
