During a fiery address at the BJP Sankalp Sabha in Ranchi, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma highlighted the urgent issue of demographic changes due to illegal immigration, pledging stringent measures to protect the indigenous population if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wins the upcoming Jharkhand Assembly elections. CM Sarma underscored the drastic rise in the Muslim population in Assam as a cautionary tale for Jharkhand, calling it a matter of life and death rather than a political issue.
On July 17, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma voiced his grave concerns about the changing demographics in Assam, attributing it to illegal immigration. “In Assam, the Muslim population has reached 40 per cent today. In 1951, it was 12 per cent. We have lost many districts. This is not a political issue for me. It is a matter of life and death,” CM Sarma stated. He accused the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-Congress coalition of failing to act against illegal immigrants in Jharkhand, warning that the state could face similar demographic shifts.
As BJP’s election co-in-charge for Jharkhand, CM Sarma promised that the BJP would halt the exploitation of tribals by illegal immigrants. He claimed that illegal immigrants are marrying tribal daughters without following legal procedures, leading to exploitation. “Our BJP will make a law to stop the exploitation of anyone if a tribal daughter marries an illegal immigrant,” he asserted.
Addressing questions about the responsibility for stopping illegal immigration, Sarma emphasised that once immigrants cross the borders, it becomes a state issue. “Illegal immigrants first come to Assam and West Bengal. They then spread to Bihar, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh. The Jharkhand High Court has asked the State Government to detect and deport them,” CM Sarma said. He criticised the JMM-Congress government for blaming the Union Government instead of acting.
In Ranchi, Sarma accused the JMM-Congress government of engaging in “appeasement politics,” which he claimed has led to a “land jihad” where illegal immigrants are allegedly luring tribals into fake marriages to usurp the land. “We don’t want this state to suffer the way Assam is suffering,” he declared. Sarma reiterated that the BJP, if elected, would implement strict laws to prevent such exploitation and protect the rights of the Indigenous population.
CM Sarma’s remarks come against the backdrop of rising concerns about demographic changes in several states due to illegal immigration. He pointed out that even the Jharkhand High Court had recently directed the State Government to identify and deport infiltrators. “If you only blame the Centre for it, then leave the chair, we will do what needs to be done after coming to office,” CM Sarma challenged the state government.
As Jharkhand gears up for its Assembly elections, the issue of illegal immigration and demographic change has become a central topic of debate.
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