BJP destroyed the backbone of poor states; J’khand Squeezed Like Lemon: Hemant Soren – Times of India

RANCHI: In an unqualified attack on the BJP, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Saturday accused the saffron party of “squeezing the state like a lemon for almost two decades and crushing the backbone of poor states”. He also accused the BJP-led Center of ‘destroying’ the country’s federal structure by creating ‘double-engine governments’ through ‘poaching of MLAs, MPs and toppling governments’.
“BJP has been squeezing Jharkhand like a lemon for the last two decades, but this must end now. We feed the cow and they milk it. This cannot be allowed anymore. They have looted the wealth of Jharkhand. It is a paradox that Jharkhand, rich in minerals, resources, is one of the poorest states,” Soren claimed in an exclusive interview with PTI.
“We are rich in resources – coal, iron ore, bauxite, dolomite – but our revenue collection is hampered by the central government’s GST regime, which destroyed the backbone of states like Jharkhand. It did nothing to meet our financial needs,” he claimed. .
Soren said despite repeatedly writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Rs 1.36-lakh-crore coal dues to the state were yet to be cleared.
He accused the BJP of acting on a “steady agenda of divisive politics, Hindu-Muslim polarization and communal hatred to grab power”, asserting that it is the country’s misfortune that healthy political competition has been swept away.
“They have no agenda for development, employment or economic prosperity. The only agenda they know is division. They speak of divisive politics, harbor communal hatred and promote polarization between Hindus and Muslims,” he alleged.
Soren alleged that the BJP-led Center “could not digest a tribal CM completing a full term of five years”, and accused it of holding the elections ahead of time to undermine his government.
He also accused the central dispensation of being a “poaching master”.
“The BJP-led Center is a master of poachers. They are experts in poaching MLAs, MPs and toppling governments,” Soren alleged.
“Since we came to power, they have thrown everything at us – irrelevant accusations, conspiracies and smear campaigns. They thought they could break our party, buy our MLAs, but with the blessings of the people, I came out stronger than ever. he claimed.
The Prime Minister criticized the BJP for undermining political discourse in the country.
“What kind of political discourse are they bringing to the table? They have reduced it to a battle of accusations and dirty tricks. They are bringing in outsiders to break parties and destroy the political fabric of states… CMs of some states are camping here Why is no one concerned about what is happening in their states? Social media weapons have been deployed by the BJP to spread false narratives and huge amounts of money are being spent on pushing propaganda,” he alleged.
Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Soren claimed, “If Prime Minister Modi had his way, he would have brought in star campaigners from abroad to win the elections in Jharkhand.
On the BJP’s allegations that the tribals in Jharkhand were under greater threat than those in Manipur, Soren hit back, saying it was “calling the pot black” and accused the saffron party of being behind the violence in the northeastern state to sit.
“Manipur is on fire. Why don’t they concentrate on Manipur? They are too busy creating division elsewhere. They don’t even notice what’s happening in their dual-engine state. That state is in turmoil under their rule. What is their dual-engine status? What has the government achieved? Nothing but division and violence,” Soren claimed.
He slammed the BJP for “spreading the propaganda of infiltration”.
“They say infiltration is increasing. If so, who is responsible? I want to ask Home Minister Amit Shah?” Soren said.
He called the BJP “a party of traders” and alleged that the saffron camp “controlled” the central agencies like the CBI and the ED, which conveniently “ignored the corruption and malpractices within its own ranks”.
“They accuse us of corruption, but what about the scandals of the BJP itself? There is no investigation into huge drug seizures at Gujarat ports or scams involving companies,” he alleged.
On the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), he said Jharkhand did not need it and wondered why the BJP was keeping tribals out of its purview.
“There is no need for UCC here… We have stronger provisions to protect tribals… They talk about issues like UCC and NRC but fail to address the real concerns of the common people,” noted he up.
He added that the results of the five-year struggle would be announced on November 23, when the election results in Jharkhand are announced.
Elections to the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly are scheduled for November 13 and 20.