Jharkhand: A Broken Dream?

Naxalism remains one of Jharkhand’s most complex challenges, plunging hundreds of villages into fear, violence, and backwardness over the past two decades. The recent operation in Bokaro’s Lugu hills, where CRPF’s Cobra unit and Jharkhand Police killed 8 Naxalites, including the ₹1 crore bounty carrier Prayag Manjhi alias Vivek, is commendable. The security forces are absolutely right in their place; their hard work, sacrifice, and service are unmatched, and I stand firmly with them. However, questions must be raised about the politicians who send them into the field  have they provided them with the necessary resources, strategy, and moral support? They have neither been able to eradicate Naxalism nor ensure the complete safety of the soldiers. Politics has merely turned it into an electoral weapon. According to DGP Anurag Gupta, only areas like West Singhbhum remain affected, but without political will, this battle will remain unfinished.

Jharkhand, meaning “land of forests,” has been home to communities like Santhal, Munda, Oraon, Ho, and Kharia for centuries. This is the land of heroes like Birsa Munda, Sido-Kanhu, and Tilka Manjhi. The demand for a separate state began in the 1940s, and Jharkhand was finally formed on November 15, 2000. But was the creation of a state the fulfillment of tribal aspirations?

In 25 years, Jharkhand has seen 8 Chief Ministers. The state has never truly experienced stable governance. From mining scams to presidential rule and political defections, Jharkhand’s soul has been slowly eroding amidst all this.

This state is one of the largest mineral-producing regions in the country, yet it ranks among the poorest. 37% of the population lives below the poverty line. Child deaths due to malnutrition are prevalent, and villages lack employment opportunities. The state provides electricity to others but lives in darkness itself. When a person from Jharkhand faces mistreatment in a distant city simply because they work in a factory, a wave of pain runs through the heart. A pang arises that the Jharkhand which provides the most electricity to the entire country has not been able to establish its own decent industry. Apart from a few big names, nothing has changed for the rest – no development, no respect. Will this country ever acknowledge the debt it owes to the state whose coal-laden trains illuminate factories and cities across the nation every day? And even then, no one knows that the electricity flowing through my room’s walls, the AC that cools me, is a contribution from Jharkhand. Whether I have ever acknowledged it… or not.

The state was formed for tribal identity, but that very identity is now in crisis. The PESA and Forest Rights Act exist only in files. Languages like Santhali, Mundari, and Kharia are disappearing. Tribals are labeled as Naxalites when they protest.

Dams and mining projects are displacing tribals from their own land. Relief and rehabilitation exist only on paper. Development is not for the tribal people; it passes over them.

Despite having institutions like IIT and BIT Mesra, the youth of the state are migrating to Delhi, Punjab, and Maharashtra for employment. The state has neither the policy nor the opportunities to retain them.

This is not just the story of Jharkhand; it is the story of a hindered democracy that still hesitates to recognize its oldest and most original people. InnerCall brings this voice to you no drama, no propaganda, just the truth. Jai Johar.