India
Infiltration in Bangladesh takes center stage as campaign for phase 1 of Jharkhand elections ends | India News – Times of India
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the chief architect of the BJP’s Jharkhand strategy, has accused the JMM-led coalition in Jharkhand of being ‘patronizing infiltrators’ and has alleged that these elections are being fought to drive out illegal immigrants and protect the Hindus. protect. He called his Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren “spokesman of the Bengal infiltrators” and alleged that the ruling JMM was a party of infiltrators.
“Of the total population, about 90 percent were Hindu and 9.43 percent were Muslim. The tribal population at that time was 10.34 lakh, which was 44 percent of the total Hindu population. In the 2011 census, Hindu population dropped to 67 percent and tribal population to 28 percent in Santhal Pargana region,” Sarma claims.
Earlier, PM Modi at one of his rallies reinforced this tone when he said, “Appeasement politics has reached its peak in Jharkhand where the JMM-led coalition is busy supporting Bengali infiltrators. If this continues, the tribal population in Jharkhand will shrink. This is a threat to the tribal society and the country. This coalition has become a ‘Gushpaithiya Bandhan’ and a ‘Mafia ka Gulam’.”
The JMM and Congress have responded to the BJP’s Bengali infiltration talk with a strong counter-offensive. JMM chief and Chief Minister Hemant Soren accused the BJP of spreading communal poison in the state. Alleging that the BJP-led NDA had looted the state for two decades, he alleged that it was his government that had extended rights and benefits to people in the last five years.
Hitting back at the Centre’s stand on Bangladesh infiltration, Soren questioned why former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was allowed to land in India when the government raised security concerns. “What internal agreements make this possible? The responsibility of border security lies with the government of India,” he asked during a poll.
Contrary to BJP’s pitch for UCC and NRC, Soren has announced that neither the UCC nor the NRC will be implemented in the state. “Jharkhand will solely rely on Chotanagpur and Santhal Pargana tenancy laws. These people (BJP) are spewing poison and do not care about tribals, tribals, Dalits or backward communities,” the JMM leader said at a rally.
“The BJP is only interested in money and mineral resources of the state. They have nothing to do with ‘Mati, Beti and Roti’. She sets her agenda by targeting a particular community,” Soren said.
The Congress charge on the last day was led by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge. The Congress president unleashed an unqualified attack on Prime Minister Modi, accusing him of suppressing the opposition, toppling elected governments and buying lawmakers “like goats to feed and feast on later.”
“Modi-ji believes in toppling governments. He buys MLA. Unka kaam MLAs ko bakri ke jaise apne pas rakh lena, palna aur fir baad me kaat kar khana hai… (Modi keeps MLAs like goats, feeds them and later feasts on them). This is Modi,” Kharge claimed.
Kharge accused the BJP of dividing the country for which Indira Gandhi was shot 36 bullets and Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed his life. “Those who divide the country teach us ‘deshbhakti’ (patrotism). We wonder if anyone in the BJP-RSS has sacrificed his life for the country,” the Congress leader said.
The Congress chief took a jibe at Prime Minister Modi saying, “Modi believes he is not organic” and alleged, “He is a habitual liar who never keeps his promises… Has a golden age arrived in Gujarat?”
“We have tolerated Modi as CM and PM for 25 years. He is supporting those who are exploiting backward people and women… PM Modi is afraid to visit Manipur, I challenge him to go there,” the Congress leader claimed.
Accusing Prime Minister Modi of looting coal and iron ore from Jharkhand, Kharge said the BJP is a party of robbers. “They are yet to release Rs 1.36 lakh crore from Jharkhand in lieu of coal mining,” he said, calling the Prime Minister “Jhoothon Ka Sardar” (chief of the liars).
“Akash me cheel udti hai to bolte hai bhains ud raha hai (When a kite flies in the sky, it says it is a buffalo),” Kharge said, looking at the Prime Minister.
It is clear that the BJP’s aggressive stance on infiltration is a well-thought-out strategy to win over the tribals, a majority of which have supported the JMM in the last two elections. Hemant Soren, on the other hand, has been trying to consolidate tribal votes by playing the victim card ever since he was released on bail after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged corruption case.
(With input from the agency)
