New Delhi: Himanta Biswa Sarma, the BJP’s co-in-charge for the upcoming Jharkhand assembly elections, made controversial statements on Monday, alleging an increase in the Muslim population in the state and a decline in the tribal population. He attributed this demographic shift to what he termed “infiltration.”
Sarma said, “I have ignited a fire against infiltrators. Just as Lord Hanuman set fire in Lanka, we must act against infiltrators to transform Jharkhand into a prosperous state. In the Santhal Pargana region, the tribal population is decreasing while the Muslim population is on the rise.”
He questioned the reasons behind the increasing Muslim population, saying, “Not every Muslim is an infiltrator, but how can we explain the consistent growth in the Muslim population every five years? Are families having 10 to 12 children each? If that’s not the case, it clearly indicates that people are migrating from outside. This is simple mathematics. While we aim to win the elections, our primary focus is to expel infiltrators from Santhal Pargana and ensure justice for women.”
BJP promises NRC implementation
Furthermore, Sarma said that the BJP government in Jharkhand plans to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the Santhal Pargana division. He referred to an internal letter from the Jharkhand government that claimed intruders receive training at madrasas and obtain Aadhaar cards, implying a systematic issue. He said that he is confident that the BJP would form the next government after the elections and carry out the NRC implementation.
The Jharkhand assembly elections are set to take place in two phases on November 13 and November 20. In the previous assembly elections, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha secured 30 seats, the BJP won 25 and the Congress claimed 16 seats.
