TDS Desk:

Indian home minister Amit Shah has threatened to straighten out every single Bangladeshi infiltrator in Jharkhand state by hanging them upside down after the potential formation of a BJP government in the poll-bound state.

Kolkata-based The Telegraph on Saturday quoted Amit Shah as making the threat.

Amit Shah made some other unfounded inflammatory remarks against “Bangladeshi trespassers” during an election campaign in Jharkhand’s Sahibganj district.

Shah repeated BJP chief Narendra Modi’s statements prior to the Lok Sabha polls of dwindling tribal populace and increasing population of “Bangladeshi intruders” in Santhal Pargana.

“This land belongs to the tribals, but the number of intruders is increasing here. Tribals have decreased from 44 per cent to 28 per cent. Since intruders are the vote bank of the JMM, Congress and RJD, the government here is engaged in doing welfare of intruders instead of public welfare,” alleged Shah.

The home minister claimed that in Pakur district, slogans of ‘Hindus leave Jharkhand’ are being raised.

“Change of what? not of changing the chief minister in Jharkhand, not even bringing the BJP in power change has to be done to remove this corrupt government and bring in a government which can check corruption,” Shah said at Bhognadih in Santhal Pargana which is revered for being the birthplace of tribal freedom fighter Sidhu Kanhu.

“I would like to appeal to all of you to form a BJP government in Jharkhand and we will straighten out every single Bangladeshi intruder by hanging them upside down,” Shah threatened.

“I would like to thank Jharkhand High Court which has directed to form a committee to investigate the infiltration from Bangladesh and the Centre would soon form a committee with the help of the Jharkhand government to probe into it,” said Shah.

Accusing the Hemant Soren-led coalition government as the most corrupt government in the country, Shah said: “Hemant government has done nothing except corruption. This is the most corrupt government of the country.”

He asked the people present if anyone had seen ₹350 crore. He then went on to say that ₹350 crore were found at the house of Congress Rajya Sabha member Dheeraj Sahu.

“This money was not for liquor but belonged to the state’s poor people,” claimed Shah.

He also alleged that ₹35 crore were found in the house of a servant and personal secretary of Congress leader (former cabinet minister) Alamgir Alam.

He further alleged that the government had committed several scams such as an MGNREGA scam of ₹1,000 crore, a land scam of ₹600 crore, a mining scam of ₹1,000 crore and a liquor scam of ₹40 crore.

Praising the Modi government for increasing the budget for tribal welfare, Shah said: “In 2013-14, the budget for tribal welfare was only ₹30,000 crore. In 2024-25, a budget of ₹1,30,000 crore has been kept for tribal welfare.”

He announced that if the BJP government is formed in the state, 63,000 villages will be connected by road and people above 75 years of age will get free treatment up to ₹10 lakh.

JMM central general secretary and party spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya countered Amit Shah’s allegation’s by stating, “People of Jharkhand will not be swayed by the communal narrative of the BJP and will in turn hang upside down BJP MLA during the Assembly polls.”