On Sunday, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared, while releasing the party’s manifesto for the next state assembly elections in Ranchi, that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will enforce the uniform civil code (UCC) in Jharkhand if elected to power in the state, but will exclude tribal people from its purview.
The opposition and Congress have been circulating rumors that the UCC would deny tribal people their rights. He reaffirmed, “The BJP will implement UCC in Jharkhand, but they will not interfere with any tribal rights or culture. The BJP has chosen to uphold Jharkhand’s long history of national security, which was started by Bhagwan Birsa Munda, by combining the principles of ‘Maati, Roti, aur Beti’ with reverence for tribal pride. It is a statement of the aspirations and goals of innumerable individuals in the state, not just the BJP’s manifesto.”
The BJP’s Sankalp Patra highlights include a law to return tribal land that was allegedly taken by Bangladeshi infiltrators, the establishment of a commission for the rehabilitation of those displaced by mining and development, and a number of welfare programs aimed at women and young people.
Shah referred to the state government under Hemant Soren as the “most corrupt” in the nation and charged that it harbors Bangladeshi infiltrators who target tribal women. He said “the BJP government would track down and deport each infiltrator in addition to passing legislation to return land to the tribal people. Targeting tribal women, the Bangladeshi infiltrators are snatching their land and trapping them in repeated marriages. There is a threat to tribal culture. All of them would be identified and deported as soon as we took power. Additionally, the state administration would introduce legislation to return the land to the tribal girls who were robbed by infiltrators through gift deeds after marriage. The lengthy woodland and hilly terrain make the border region challenging. Since the BJP took control in Assam, infiltration has been stopped there. But because state governments aren’t doing anything to stop it, it’s still going on in Bengal and Assam. Hemant Soren is unable to avoid his responsibilities. Why don’t the collectors and patwari recognize the issue and notify the Center? What matters is the aim. The Jharkhand government has not complied with the high court’s instructions to identify, locate, and deport infiltrators, despite the court’s recognition of the problem”.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren declared shortly after Shah’s declaration that the state will not permit the use of the UCC or the National Register of Citizens (NRC). To preserve tribal culture and land rights, Soren stated that Jharkhand would exclusively follow the Chotanagpur Tenancy (CNT) and Santhal Pargana Tenancy (SPT) Acts.
On November 13 (for 43 seats in the eastern part of the state) and November 20 (for 38 seats in the western half of the state), Jharkhand’s 26 million voters will cast ballots in two phases. Four-phase elections were held in the state for the Lok Sabha. The National Democratic Alliance, led by the BJP, and the ruling Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, led by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, will engage in a mostly bipolar war in the mineral-rich state, which also has the second-highest percentage of tribespeople in India.
Shah further criticized the Soren government’s demand that ₹1.36 lakh crore in unpaid debts to the central mining PSUs for land compensation and royalties related to the state’s key mineral mines be released. He added, “I want to know, Hemant Soren, how much money was given to Jharkhand by the UPA government between 2004 and 2014, and how much was given by the Modi government during the following ten years. Since he won’t respond, I have the numbers. Over a ten-year period, the UPA administration donated ₹84,000. In contrast, the Modi administration contributed 3.8 lakh crore over the previous ten years. In addition, ₹65,000 crore and ₹15,000 crore have been allocated for rail and highway projects, respectively”.
According to Shah, if elected, the BJP will generate 500,000 jobs in Jharkhand, including 287,000 government posts. The young people are hopeful about the BJP notwithstanding their unemployment and paper leaks. Jharkhand’s citizens are prepared to choose a government that puts the needs of the underprivileged first rather than one that diverts money intended for their advancement into the coffers of friends and family. Along with free education for girls from economically disadvantaged groups, the party also pledged compensation for mothers and children. The manifesto states that the Gogo Didi yojana will provide ₹2,100 per month to every woman in the state. All families were promised LPG cylinders for ₹500, along with two complimentary refills annually. For two years, the party has committed to give postgraduate and graduate job applicants ₹2,000 per month. Additionally, it pledged to register property up to ₹50 lakh in women’s names in lieu of Re 1 stamp tax.
Shah said, “I appreciate Mallikarjuna Kharge, the president of the Congress, for his remarks cautioning against making inflated claims. The BJP sets itself apart from other parties by pledging to keep its commitments and seeing to it that they are fulfilled. It is the only party in the nation that keeps its promises”.
According to the home minister, Jharkhand has become one of the country’s leading hubs for the trafficking of young girls and the kidnapping of women. He declared “Operation Suraksha,” which aims to eradicate Maoist activity in Jharkhand over the next two years and put an end to human trafficking in the state by 2027.
According to Shah, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) would look into past CGL exams as well as any significant paper leak incidents. The Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission-Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) Competitive Exam will also be canceled.
Speaking at a gathering in Garhwa, Soren claimed that the BJP was indifferent to the plight of backward communities, Dalits, and tribal people. Here, neither the NRC nor the UCC will be used. Only the Chotanagpur Tenancy and Santhal Pargana Tenancy Acts will be used in Jharkhand. Tribals, indigenous, Dalits, and underprivileged populations are of no concern to these individuals (the BJP), Soren remarked.
Shah’s claims that the JMM-led coalition was promoting Maoist operations were also sharply criticized by Soren, who said that the two-phase poll was evidence that Maoist activity had been restrained, in contrast to previous elections that were held in five phases.
The Congress, an ally of the JMM, claimed that the BJP’s sole campaign topic is “polarization and the spread of the communal virus,” as is evident from the party’s Jharkhand election manifesto.
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