As the second phase of the Jharkhand Assembly Election 2024 is coming closer, all eyes are set on the Santhal Pargana division, which is most likely to become a testing ground for the experiment of Hindutva. With six districts of Sahibganj, Godda, Pakur, Dumka, Deoghar, and Jamtara, Santhal Pargana is most likely to decide which way this tribal state will take a turn and move. The saffron party decided to make its experiments with Hindutva at the very beginning of the campaign is clear by the fact that it has raised the issue of infiltration and religious conversion.
BJP’s Jharkhand in-charge Himanta Biswa Sarma raked up the issue at the outset of the election campaign by emphasising that Bangladeshis have infiltrated the state in such a huge number that it has impacted the demography of Jharkhand. He accused the Hemant Soren-led government of aiding and abetting the infiltration for its political benefit.

BJP: Hindu Population To Decline To 50% In 20 Years

He stuck to his guns throughout the campaign and refused to budge. He talked about this issue on Wednesday at an election rally in Pakur as he said without mincing a word this election is for driving out infiltrators from Jharkhand and saving Hindus. He suggested Hindus to remain united to save the Sanatan. He said, “If infiltration is not checked, the Hindu population in Jharkhand will decline to 50% in the next 20 years.”
It is clear that the knives are out and the gloves are off. The saffron party is hell-bent on pushing the issue and polarising the voters on the line of religion.

What After ‘Batenge Toh Katenge’

At a time when the saffron party has raised the slogan of “batenge toh katenge” (“divided we perish”) in Maharashtra after Haryana, where it recorded an unexpected win, the BJP is enthusiastically pursuing the issue to achieve a similar result in Jharkhand.

Himanta Targets ‘A Particular Community’

The Assam Chief Minister went all guns blazing and attacked the ruling coalition harshly. He said, “Hindus have protected India and should remain united to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’…A particular community always votes for JMM, Congress, and RJD but Sanatan votes are distributed.”
The saffron party has gone to such an extent that the Jharkhand in-charge appealed to the voters to “remain united to drive out the JMM-led coalition from here.” He said further, “Infiltrators and a particular community are their vote bank.” He did not name the community, but anyone can guess it.

Himanta: NRC In Santhal Pargana, Kolhan

Sarma also declared that if the BJP forms the government, the National Register of Citizens would be implemented in the Santhal Pargana and Kolhan divisions of Jharkhand.
The BJP’s aggressive approach to the issue of infiltration could be understood by the fact that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi used it in his election rallies and other speeches. He raised the issue during his Jharkhand visit ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024.

PM Modi: JMM Patronising Infiltrators

While campaigning for the Jharkhand Assembly Election 2024, PM Modi claimed that the tribal population in Santhal Pargana was decreasing because a huge number of Bangladeshis had infiltrated and the infiltration is still going on. He also accused the JMM-led ruling alliance in Jharkhand of “patronising” infiltrators. He also claimed that these people were grabbing land and putting women at risk.

Union Government Files Affidavit

In September this year, the Union government filed an affidavit to the Jharkhand High Court saying that Bangladeshi intrusion has changed the demography of Santhal Pargana. It also asserted that the tribal population in the region has decreased by 16%. It claimed that the Muslim population increased by 20% to 40% in six different districts of Santhal Pargana.
The central government told the High Court that the total population of Santhal Pargana was 23,22,092, of which Hindus were 90.37%, Muslims 9.43%, and Christians 0.18% in 1951. It also said that in the 2011 census, the total population of the region went to 69,69,097 of which Hindus were 67.95%, Muslims 22.73%, and Christians 4.21%.

BJP: Muslim Population Increased To 37%

The BJP has claimed that in the Santhal Pargana region, the Hindu and Adivasi population has declined to 63% and the Muslim population has increased to 37%.
The infiltration issue is sub-judice as the Jharkhand High Court, which in September this year issued an order to form a fact-finding committee comprising central and state officers to furnish a report on the allegation of cross-border infiltration in Jharkhand and its impact on the local population.

What Did Jharkhand HC Say?

A division bench of justices Sujit Narayan Prasad and Arun Kumar Rai took a petition, which alleged that illegal immigrants from Bangladesh were entering Jharkhand through the porous borders in the Santhal Pargana region and affecting the indigenous population.
Giving its order, the bench said, “It cannot be disputed that the State of Jharkhand was created by the Central legislation on November 15, 2000 based on the fact that the majority of the population of Jharkhand is tribal.”
It said further, “There is no denying that the problem of decline in the demography of the tribal population is currently affecting the population matrix of Jharkhand.”
Jharkhand will go to the second and last phase of its assembly election on November 20 and the votes will be counted on November 23. The people will decide if they agree to the allegations of the BJP.