Jharkhand Elections 2024: Hemant Soren counters Amit Shah's 'infiltration' charge citing Sheikh Hasina's asylum

Hemant Soren, Chief Minister of Jharkhand. (File Photo: PTI)

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Sunday took strong exception to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's recent allegation that the JMM-ruled government in the state of providing "shelter to Bangladeshi infiltrators" and wondered how the Centre allowed Sheikh Hasina, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, to land in India and seek asylum.

"Please tell us on what basis you allowed the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh to land in India and seek asylum. Infiltrators from Bangladesh enter India through BJP-ruled states. They are saying it themselves," Soren said addressing an election rally in the Garhwa Assembly seat.

"I would like to know whether the BJP has some sort of internal understanding with Bangladesh," he added.

While releasing the BJP's manifesto for the Jharkhand elections, Amit Shah alleged that the state government had facilitated the protection of infiltrators for vote-bank politics.

""You have given shelter to infiltrators. You made infiltrators your votebank. Today I would like to inform the people of Jharkhand that by putting an end to appeasement politics, the BJP will drive out infiltrators and rebuild Jharkhand from scratch," Shah said.

The issue of infiltration is the second big plank of the BJP against the ruling JMM-Congress government in the state. Allegations of the changing demographic of Jharkhand and the rights of tribals being snatched away is the BJP's biggest plank in these elections.

The BJP has promised that it will implement the Uniform Civil Code in the state if elected to power, triggering a controversy in the tribal-dominated pockets of the state.

Shah has, however, clarified that the tribal population, with its diverse customs and practices, will be kept out of the purview of the Uniform Civil Code.

Elections in Jharkhand will be held in two phases on November 13 and November 20 while the results will be declared on November 23.