The history of “1932 Khatiyan” and the debate about “Who can be a local resident in Jharkhand?” is traced. In answering this question, several terms are used that unfold historical and contemporary development paradigms, in-migration flows and the process of industrialisation, and political economy, employment and electoral politics in Jharkhand. The article also argues that it is problematic to think in terms of binaries, when considering sthaniyata, such as Adivasis versus Dikus, original settlers versus more recent in-migrants, and cities built by industries versus Fifth Schedule Areas and legal safeguards.
