Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s defence against the Bharatiya Janata Party’s allegations of a democratic change in the state under the rule of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha government has given fresh ammo to the saffron party to target the larger INDIA alliance of Opposition parties.
Last week, the Jharkhand government came under attack on the issue of alleged demographic change from Assam Chief Minister and BJP's Jharkhand co in-charge Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Dismissing allegations of demographic changes in Jharkhand, Soren suggested that critics should look into the demographic data of neighbouring West Bengal. “They talk about demographic change and Bangladeshi intruders. I would like to tell them to go and see the data from the central government and see in which district and in which state it has changed,” Soren said.
“Go and see what is the data in Bengal. Then see the data of various districts in Jharkhand. You would find that there is no change in the demography here," he added.
The BJP was quick to latch on to the remarks by Soren and claimed that the Jharkhand CM had admitted to demographic change in West Bengal, a state led by Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress, a part of the INDIA bloc of opposition parties that also includes the JMM.
“So, he has accepted that there has been a demographic change in West Bengal which was ruled by the Left as well as Mamata Banerjee,” said BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said.
“Who has had governments in West Bengal? Not BJP. Left, followed by the TMC,” Poonawalla said, pointing out that one party of the opposition alliance targeting another shows that the entire opposition lacks any mission or vision.
“Only he knows whether he (Soren) attacked them (West Bengal government) inadvertently or otherwise. But the truth has come out that a demographic change in West Bengal has indeed occurred. This is happening in Jharkhand as well,” the BJP leader said.
Soren’s speech on Wednesday also stirred controversy over his remarks against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, whom he referred to as “rat-like invaders”.
Addressing a rally in Sahibganj, Soren said that the RSS is “invading Jharkhand like rats and destroying it”, inviting sharp criticism from the BJP. “Chase such forces away when you see them entering your villages with ‘Handia’ and ‘daru’ (locally brewed liquor),” Soren had said.
The issue of an alleged demographic change in Jharkhand has stoked a huge political row in the state which is set to go to polls later this year. The allegations of an alleged demographic change in Jharkhand’s Santhal Pargana region have already reached the High Court.
Last month, the court observed that the state government remained silent on the reason for the reduction of the tribal population in the Santhal Pargana region. The remarks were made in the court’s order passed while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking action against the alleged illegal immigration from Bangladesh in the region, leading to demographic change of the state.
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