Jharkhand Election 2024: PM Modi flags falling tribal population, warns of Congress’ 'dangerous intentions'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing a rally in Sarath in poll-bound Jharkhand. (Photo: X/BJP)

The Congress comes bearing “dangerous intentions” and has hatched a new conspiracy to disunite SC, ST and OBCs and destroy its collective might, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said addressing a rally in poll-bound Jharkhand on Wednesday.

“Congress's intentions are very dangerous. The Shehzada of Congress has made it clear that he wants to end SC/ST/OBC reservation. When his father was the top leader of Congress, he had announced the abolition of reservation. But due to the unity of SC/ST/OBC, he lost the elections badly. Since then till today Congress has never got absolute majority at the Centre. Even today, in the states where the SC/ST/OBC population is high, Congress has been wiped out,” PM Modi said addressing a rally in the Sarath Assembly constituency.

The Prime Minister said that having tasted defeat in states with sizable SC, ST and OBC population, the Congress had devised a new ploy to fleece voters. “These people want to break the collective power of SC/ST/OBC, want to tear it into pieces,” the Prime Minister said in an apparent reference to the Congress’ poll promise of a caste census and increasing the 50 percent cap on reservations.

“I have come to warn you, to awaken you. You have to be more careful and remember that if you are one, you are safe (Ek hain to safe hain),” he added.

In his address, the Prime Minister also flagged the issue of the falling tribal population in the Santhal region and said that a conspiracy was being hatched to alter Jharkhand’s identity.

“During the JMM-Congress government, every wrong thing was done to make infiltrators permanent residents here. Statistics show that the number of tribals in the Santhal region has almost halved,” PM Modi claimed, adding that infiltration remained the biggest concern for people during his visits to the state in recent days.

“Jharkhandi pride and the identity of Jharkhand has been your strength. What will happen if this identity is lost?” he said.

“What will happen if the number of tribals continues to decrease like this? Your water, forests and land will be taken over by others. We have to save tribal families and also save Jharkhand from this situation,” PM Modi added.

Making a strong pitch to the people to vote for the BJP, the Prime Minister said that the BJP-led NDA is working on the sole mantra of developing Jharkhand.

The protection of bread, our daughters and land is the biggest and most important issue in this election, the Prime Minister said. “I assure you that the BJP-NDA government will not allow any compromise with the security of the bread, daughter and land of the Santhals and Jharkhand.”