Former Jharkhand chief minister Champai Soren.
Credit: PTI Photo
Giridih (Jharkhand): Former chief minister Champai Soren on Monday said it has become necessary to protect Adivasis from the “conspiracy of Bangladeshi infiltrators”, and asserted that tribal land allegedly grabbed by them would be returned to the original owners if the BJP is voted to power.
Soren, who quit the JMM and joined the BJP in August, claimed at a public meeting here that resentment is prevailing among the tribal community against infiltrators.
Alleged infiltration by Bangladeshis, their marriage to local tribal women and grabbing of Adivasi land are key issues of the saffron party in the Jharkhand assembly elections.
“Icons such as Sido-Kanho, Chand-Vairabh, Phulo-Jhano and Baba Tilka Majhi had fought against the British to protect our land and were martyred. Now, infiltrators are grabbing that land,” Soren said.
If the BJP comes to power in the elections, a meeting of the heads of traditional community organisations would be convened and tribal plots of land illegally grabbed would be returned to the real owners, he said.
The existence of Adivasis has been wiped out in several villages and the dignity of tribal women is under threat because of infiltration of Bangladeshis, he claimed.
Even tribal religious places were grabbed by them, Soren who is contesting from Seraikela assembly seat alleged.
Since non-tribals cannot buy tribal land as per the Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act, he wondered how these alleged infiltrators, who have settled mainly in the Santhal Pargana region, are grabbing their land.
Elections to the 81-member assembly in the state will take place in two phases on November 13 and 20, and votes will be counted on November 23.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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