The movement for a separate state of Jharkhand is a tribulent odessey spread over a century. Triabl uprisings in Bihar during the British rule against exploitation by " DIKUS"(outsiders) grew into a forceful movement for political identity and is headed for its culmination on Tuesday 14th November, 2000 midnight with the creation of a separate Jharkhand state - the 28th in India.
         The Birsha Munda movement of 1985 - 1900 was the most important among early uprisings against exploitation of the original inhibitants by non-tribal landowners and money landers. Munda succeeded in getting the British to prevent, or at least, minimise alienation of tribal land. A landmark in the movement was the formation of the Chhotanagpur Unnati Samaj in 1915, which acquired political overtones with the demand for a sub-state for the adivasis. The demand was, however, turned down by the Simon commission.
         The next important step was the formation of the Adivasis Mahasabha, which saw non-tribals coming out openly in support of the movement for the creation of a separate state. Among those who spearheaded the Jharkhand movement was Jaipal Singh, an Oxford - returned tirbal Christian who helped the regional aspiration gain national recognition.
        The Adivasis Mahasabha was rechristened the Jharkhand party here in 1949 under the leadership of Jaipal Singh.
         It was with the emergence of this party that the Jharkhand movement bacame purely political. The Jharkhand party became the largest opposition party in the Bihar Assembly winnig all the 32 seats from south Bihar and giving fresh impetus to the government for a separate state.
         Considering its growing strength, the Congress started efforts for engineering a split in the Jharkhand Party. As a cosequence, Jaipal Singh fell into its trap and joined the Congress with his followers in 1963. N. E. Horo, a close associates of Jaipal Singh, however, refused to join the Congress and kept the Jharkhand flag flying. But the loss of the Jharkhand Party veterans, who joined the Congress, proved too much for the pro-statehood forces whose strength steadily eroded in successive elections since 1969.
         The movement again recieved a shot in the arm with the emergence of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha in 1972.
         The growing strength of the JMM was reflected in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections and the demand for a statehood for the first time shook the corridors of power with the then prime minister of India Mr. Rajiv Gandhi setting up a Committee on Jharkhand Matters(CoJM).
         In the light of the recommendattions by the CoJM, prolonged negotiations between the Centre, the Bihar government and the movement leaders led to the setting up of the Jharkhand Area Autonomous Council(JAAC) in August 1995. It was hailed as a major step towards the creation of Jharkhand.
         Buckling under pressuer from the JMM memebers, with whose support the RJD had a majority in the state Assembly, the Bihar government on July 22, 1997 adopted a resolution for the creation of a sepaarate state. In 1998, however, RJD supremeo Mr. Laloo Prasad Yadav reversed his stand on Jharkhand statehood. The JMM reacted sharply, withdrawing its support to the RJD government.
         After the last Assembly election in the state threw up a hung Assembly, RJD's dependence on the Congress extended support on the precondition that RJD will not pose a hurdle to the passage of the Bihar recorganisation Bill(Jharkhand Bill).
         Ultimately, with the support from both RJD and Congress, the ruling coalition at the Centre led by the BJP which has made statehood its mail poll plank in the region in seccessive polls earlier, cleared the Jharkhand Bill in the monsoon session of the the Parliament this year, thus paving the way for the creation of a separate Jharkhand state.