The BJP’s firm stance in Jharkhand: Infiltrators’ children cannot have tribal status

On Saturday, Union Minister and BJP national president JP Nadda pledged that if the saffron party wins power in Jharkhand, it will defend indigenous communities’ rights and deny tribal status to offspring of a local Adivasi mother and a “infiltrator” father.

“Every Bangladeshi will be thrown out of Jharkhand and, along with that, the way they marry tribal sisters and want rights on their tribal land, the children born from them will not be given any tribal rights,” Nadda said while addressing an election rally at Bishrampur in Palamu district.

Additionally, Nadda charged that the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) government, led by Hemant Soren, was providing sanctuary to infiltrators from Bangladesh and promised that they would all be expelled from the state following the elections.The senior BJP leader also called on voters to switch from the “single-engine” to the “double-engine” style of government, accusing the JMM-led government in Jharkhand of having “corrupt people and thieves” in its ranks.

“Time has come to oust the single-engine government from Jharkhand and restore the double-engine government here for all-round development,” the BJP chief said.

Earlier in the day, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had lashed out at the Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand government for “according a red-carpet welcome to Bangladeshi infiltrators” in the state. He also asserted that “such forces will be deported as soon as the BJP forms government in the state”.

Shah clarified that the saffron party will exclude tribal people from its purview and accused the JMM and Congress of propagating false information that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) would assert tribal rights.

“The JMM-led coalition has laid out red carpet for Bangladeshi infiltrators, who settle in Jharkhand and grab tribal land, employment of youths and indulge in anti-national activities. Let the BJP regime form. They will be deported and not a bird will be allowed to cross the border,” Shah said at an election rally at Potka in East Singhbhum.

Elections to the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly will take place in two phases, on November 13 and November 20. Counting of votes will take place on November 23.