BABULAL MARANDI was the Union minister of state for environment when he took over as the chief minister of Jharkhand in 2000. In March 2003, he resigned after his cabinet ministers turn against him. Down To Earth spoke to him a few days after his ouster

JOBA MAJHI, wife of the leader of Singhbhum's Jungle Andolan, Devendra Majhi, is in her second term as member of the legislative assembly from a breakaway faction of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. She was a minister in the Bihar cabinet and she remained a mi

YAMUNA SINGH, Jharkhand's minister of environment and forest since the state's creation, is from the Kharwar tribe. Down To Earth spoke to him about the controversial forestland issue and the Jungle Andolan of Singhbhum.

SHIBU 'GURUJI' SOREN of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has been a prominent figure in the struggle for Jharkhand and is equally well known for the JMM pay off scandal. A parliamentarian from Dumka constituency, he spoke to Down To Earth in Ranchi

A Jharkhand Party veteran, NIRAL ENEM HORO didn't quit when Jaipal Singh, Jharkhand's most eminent leader, left to join the Congress party. He has fought and won several elections, though he lost the last time he fought for the legislative assembly. He wa

MANSUKHBHAI VASAVA is the only independent Scheduled Tribe member of parliament in Lok Sabha. He represents the Bharuch parliamentary constituency, supporting the BJP

JAYANTA RONGPI is a doctor and a member of the Communist Party of India Marxist Leninist . He represents Karbi Anglong in Assam, a seat reserved for Scheduled tribe members

JUAL ORAM, Union minister of tribal affairs, is in the Lok Sabha from the Sundargarh constituency in Orissa

ARVIND NETAM was, till the mid 1990s, one of the most promising tribal politicians of India. He was deputy minister of education in 1973. He rejoined the Congress in 1998 after leaving it in 1996.