On 21st February, ‘Saridharam Code Committee’ on behalf of the Santal people of West Bengal organized a press conference at Kolkata Press Club on the occasion of approval of Saridharam Code Bill in the State Assembly of West Bengal on 17th February, 2023. The Committee conveyed their thanks to Honourable Chief Ministerbof West Bengal Ms. Mamata Banerjee for introduction and approval of the ‘SARIDHARAM CODE BILL for the Santals’ religion SARIDHARAM.
This demand for introduction and approval of an All-Party Bill’ for Separate Religion Code for ‘Saridharam’ was a long cherished demand of the Santals. Now this demand has been honoured by the State Government with the ‘Motion under Parliamentary Rule of 185’ which was moved in the Assembly on 17th February, 2023 and subsequently approved in the House.
In the press meet Committee also demanded for immediate submission of ‘Saridharam Code Bill’ in a Separate Cover Letter with Separate Memo Number to the Government of India for eventual allotment of ‘Separate Religion Code’ for ‘Saridharam’. They also appealed to State Government to take special attention so that ‘Saridharam’ religion would not be mixed with ‘Sarna’, which is a different religion as per their opinion.
“Since SARIDHARAM and Sarna are two different religions these should not be submitted in a single cover letter to avoid confusion. We have noticed in several occasions that the officials of the State Government have either intentionally or unknowingly used the term ‘Sari and Sarna’ dharam and thereby unnecessarily creating ambiguity and confusion regarding the nomenclature of these two separate religions”, said Dr. Subodh Hansda, Convenor of Saridharam Code Committee.