BJP leader Arjun Munda has accused the Jharkhand government of diluting the core spirit of the PESA Act, 1996, with its newly notified PESA rules. Munda alleges the rules omit key phrases like "customary laws" and "social and religious practices" in defining the 'gram sabha', deviating from the Act's intent and other states' implementations. He claims this distortion undermines tribal self-governance, rooted in traditional customs, and could lead to adverse consequences and institutional erosion in Scheduled Areas.