Ranchi: Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday alleged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wanted to drive away the tribals and natives from their land, targeting the party over its “Mati, Beti, Roti (land, daughter and bread)” pitch ahead of the assembly elections.
Addressing a poll rally in Saraikela assembly constituency, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader alleged that the date of bypolls in Uttar Pradesh has been extended so that the state’s chief minister and senior BJP leader Yogi Adityanath could campaign in Jharkhand.
“They (the BJP) come here and talk about protecting ‘Mati, Beti, Roti’. See what they did in Gujarat. They release convicts of gang rape of Bilkis Bano for election campaigning. They release rape convict Ram Rahim on parole ahead of the election,” Soren alleged, claiming they have no moral ground to speak about protecting daughters.
“They claim they would protect Mati, but what is the reality. The poor have been displaced due to mining and development projects. They want to give land and mines to their corporate friends,” he alleged.
On Roti (bread), the JMM executive president alleged that dozens of people died waiting for food while holding their ration cards in hand during the BJP’s “double engine” government from 2014 to 2019. “On the other hand, we did not let even a single people die of hunger even during the Covid-19 pandemic,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}On Roti (bread), the JMM executive president alleged that dozens of people died waiting for food while holding their ration cards in hand during the BJP’s “double engine” government from 2014 to 2019. “On the other hand, we did not let even a single people die of hunger even during the Covid-19 pandemic,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}His remarks were seen as a counter to allegations by several senior BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah, that under the JMM-led alliance’s rule, the state’s “Mati, Beti, Roti (land, daughter and bread)” have come under threat due to the alleged infiltration from Bangladesh.
He further said: “We are celebrating Chhath puja. Two-three days back, it was Diwali. But election date has been extended in Uttar Pradesh. It has been done so that its CM can campaign here. He came here and gave speech on bulldozers. The message is clear they would pull down everything here.”
The election commission has extended the date for UP assembly bypolls from November 13 to November 20. On Tuesday, Adityanath addressed back-to-back poll rallies in Koderma, Barkagaon and Jamsedhpur in Jharkhand. In Barkagaon, several earth movers were parked at his rally venue.
Elections to the 81-member Jharkhand assembly will be held in two phases on November 13 and 20, and the counting of votes will take place on November 23.
Taking a dig at the visit of BJP central leaders and chief ministers in Jharkhand for campaigning, Soren alleged none of them have gone to Maharashtra where the assembly polls are also scheduled this month.
“We are alone against many such leaders of this corporate-controlled central government. But we are not afraid,” he said, adding: “The political vultures of BJP, who are conspiring to turn Jharkhand into pasture, have to be answered with ‘bow and arrow’ (JMM’s election symbol).”
Reacting to Soren’s remarks, Jharkhand BJP spokesperson Ajay Sah said: “Being a national party, it is natural for BJP’s national leaders to visit the state for the safeguard of its Mati, Beti, Roti.”