Jamshedpur: Nearly 200 social activists brainstormed on Sunday on ways to defeat the BJP in Jharkhand’s Chatra in the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections with a call to non-BJP political parties to pitch a consensus candidate to avoid a split of votes.

The Chatra parliamentary seat is represented by BJP MP Sunil Kumar Singh who had in the 2019 polls garnered 57 per cent votes. Chatra parliamentary constituency comprises the entire districts of Latehar and Chatra and a portion of Palamau district and is a predominantly Dalit and tribal-dominated seat.

“This was the fourth meeting of the Loktantra Bachao (save democracy) campaign organised jointly by Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (a coalition of human rights and tribal rights groups) and Loktantrik Rashtra Nirman Abhiyan (democratic nation-building campaign). So far, similar meetings have been held in Ranchi (for Ranchi seat), Chaibasa (Singhbhum seat) and Jamshedpur (Jamshedpur seat),” said Elina Horo, a tribal women’s rights activist associated with Mahasabha.

Over 150 social and political activists attended the meeting in Chatra co-hosted by Mahila Mukti Sangharsh Samiti and Gaon Ganrajya Chatra (village republic).

“The area has a sizeable number of Dalit and tribal populace who have faced
displacement because of coal and other projects brought by the BJP-led central government.

“The social activists have expressed their interest in hosting similar meetings at the panchayat level to make local residents aware of the Centre’s game plan and they would appeal to the locals to not be swayed by religious sentiments but cast their votes judiciously,” said Manthan of the Loktantrik Rashtra Nirman Abhiyan.

The speakers during the workshop informed the activists about the anti-people policies of the current central government and the campaign initiated to save democracy in the country.

“The central government is pushing for Hindu-centric religion-based country
with a concept wherein only the upper caste would get all the benefits and the tribals/Dalits and minorities would be treated as second-class citizens.

“They want a nation run by rules of Hindu religion and not by the existing Constitution,” claimed Manthan.

The members at the meeting claimed that at the behest of the RSS and various socio-religious-political organisations of the BJP, divisions are being created among the people of Jharkhand — between tribals and Kudmis, between Christians and Sarna tribals, between Hindus and Muslims.