Launching a scathing attack on the Hemant Soren-led JMM government ahead of the assembly polls later this year, Shah alleged, “Instead of addressing tribal welfare, a tribal chief minister is disrupting land and demographic balance by purportedly supporting ‘land jihad’ and ‘love jihad’ in tribal areas.”
He alleged that thousands of infiltrators are marrying tribal girls and acquiring land using falsified certificates.
Addressing party workers at Prabhat Tara Ground in Ranchi during the party’s extended executive committee, Shah said BJP is confident of forming the next state government as the lotus has already bloomed in 52 of 81 assembly segments in Jharkhand in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
“The BJP has pledged that if it assumes power in Jharkhand, it will release a white paper addressing population concerns and ensure the protection of tribal lands, populations, and reservations,” he said.
He also accused Soren of indulging in appeasement politics to broaden his voter base without considering its impact on local youth and employment.The former BJP president pointed out that it was his party that made history by appointing the nation’s inaugural tribal chief minister and the first tribal president of the country from the Santhal community.Jharkhand was once “plagued by Naxalism”, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi has successfully eliminated it from Bihar and Jharkhand and transformed Jharkhand into a Naxal-free state, Shah said.
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, BJP’s poll in-charge for the state, and co-in-charge, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma were also present at the meeting.