Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge with Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and others during the release of Jharkhand INDIA block manifesto ahead of Jharkhand Assembly election, in Ranchi, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
Chaibasa (Jharkhand): Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said tribals will rule the state as it belonged to them.
Soren, also the JMM executive president, slammed the BJP, claiming that no Hindu is in danger in the state but the opposition party is only trying to create conflict with its Hindu-Muslim narratives.
"We fought for a separate Jharkhand state, and we will fight to secure our rights as well. Tribals will rule here as Jharkhand belonged to tribals," he said while addressing a public meeting at Chotanagra in West Singhbhum district on Tuesday.
According to the 2011 Census, Jharkhand has a total population of 32,988,134. Of them, 26.21 per cent (8,645,042) are tribals. Except for Raghubar Das, all chief ministers of the state, which was created in 2000, belonged to tribal communities.
Soren said that his government has functioned well with the support of the people and will continue to do so in the future.
"The BJP in connivance with CBI and ED have been intimidating me and even sent me to jail on false charges. But I am the son of the soil of Jharkhand. I am neither afraid nor ever bow," the chief minister claimed.
The Enforcement Directorate had arrested Soren on January 31 in a money laundering case linked to a land scam. He was released from jail after the high court granted him bail.
Alleging that the saffron party has threatened and intimidated his ministers and MLAs and applied all tricks to topple his government, the JMM leader claimed that the time is not far when BJP will not find a single person to carry its flag.
Taking a dig at the visit of BJP central leaders and chief ministers in Jharkhand for campaigning, Soren claimed none have gone to Maharashtra where also an election will be held.
"We are alone against many such leaders of this corporate-controlled central government. But we are not afraid," he added.
The opposition did not want to see indigenous people prosper, he alleged.
Elections to the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly are scheduled on November 13 and November 20, while votes will be counted on November 23.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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