BJP will implement NRC in Jharkhand if voted to power: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s in-charge of the Jharkhand election said once the NRC is implemented, Bangladeshi infiltrators will be identified and removed

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) in-charge of the Jharkhand election, on Monday (October 7, 2024) said that the party would prepare a National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the State if voted to power.

Mr. Chouhan said once the NRC is implemented, Bangladeshi infiltrators will be identified and removed. He accused the Hemant Soren government of sheltering infiltrators and protecting them by giving Aadhaar cards.

The Minister said the Jharkhand election is not about forming a new government or removing Hemant Soren from the post of the Chief Minister, but is to “protect roti, beti and maati (bread, daughter and soil)“ of Jharkhand. He blamed Bangladeshi infiltration for demographic changes in the Santhal Pargana and decline in the population of tribals from 44% to 28%.

“The population of Hindus has been badly affected in Jharkhand due to infiltration. Those who are born on Indian soil are our brothers and sisters. However, for vote bank politics, the Hemant Soren government is allowing the infiltrators to settle here and giving them protection. Their names are being enrolled in the voter list,” Mr. Chouhan said in Ranchi.

Mr. Chouhan said infiltrators are “grabbing” Indian land and marrying tribal girls and buying property in their names. He also accused them of taking away the jobs of the local people.

Also read | Bangladeshi ‘infiltrators’ are a major concern for Jharkhand, says Suvendu Adhikari

The BJP has raked up Bangladeshi infiltration while campaigning for the Assembly election. Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue at a rally in Hazaribag and slammed the Soren government. The issue gathered momentum ever since the Jharkhand High Court last month ordered the formation of a fact-finding committee to identify infiltrators in the State.