In Jharkhand Election, BJP Plays Its Tried And Tested Poll Plank Of Infiltration

Jharkhand Election 2024: Amit Shah has accused the JMM government of harbouring a soft-corner for infiltrators while alleging that the state's tribal population was declining due to the JMM-Congress government treating 'Bangladeshi infiltrators' as its vote bank.

Jharkhand Vidhansabha Chunav 2024: The BJP is campaigning aggressively in the poll-bound Jharkhand. After warming the opposition benches for five years, the BJP is looking to mark a return to power in the state and has a tried and tested weapon to counter the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance. Even before the election dates were announced, the BJP raised the demographic change issue after the reports of 'Jamai Tola' surfaced showing an increase of the Muslim population in tribal belts. 

The BJP has raked up the infiltration poll plank to woo the voters of the state. The BJP has successfully reaped the benefit of the infiltration poll plank in states like Assam, Tripura and West Bengal. Now, the saffron party has made it a big poll strategy in Jharkhand. From Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the party's state election incharge Himanta Biswa Sarma, the senior BJP leadership are playing on the same line to maintain the seriousness of the infiltration issue.

Amit Shah has accused the JMM government of harbouring a soft-corner for infiltrators while alleging that the state's tribal population was declining due to the JMM-Congress government treating 'Bangladeshi infiltrators' as its vote bank. 

Now, PM Modi also accused the JMM of facilitating the rehabilitation of the infiltrators for vote bank politics. Addressing a poll rally, PM Modi said, "
They are allowing the Bangladeshi infiltrators to settle in the state for the vote bank....When Saraswati Vandana was disallowed in schools when there was stone-pelting during festivals...We realise how grave the threat is." PM Modi further alleged that the infiltrators are snatching local people's livelihood, daughter, and land. "If this flawed policy continues, the Adivasi population will shrink in Jharkhand," he said.

In Bengal as well, the BJP has accused the TMC of allowing illegal entry of Bangladeshi migrants, especially Muslims. The topic has been a longstanding issue in Tripura as well, where the party has argued that the tribal population has diminished over time. In Tripura, the BJP has managed to secure support from both tribal and Bengali communities, steering clear of their conflicts, unlike the CPI(M).

In Assam, for many years, the rising population of Bengali speakers—often attributed to alleged illegal immigration of Bengali-speaking Muslims from Bangladesh—has fueled polarization. This increase is viewed by some as a threat to the state’s indigenous communities, adding to ongoing tensions.

The BJP is aiming to leverage polarizing immigration issues in Jharkhand as a strategy to boost its performance, with the goal of drawing support away from the JMM’s core voter base.