PM slams JMM alliance for 'helping' infiltrators

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday accused the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led coalition of helping "infiltrators become permanent citizens" of the poll-bound state, calling it a "deep-rooted conspiracy" which will change Jharkhand's identity.

- Vishal Kant

The prime minister, who addressed back-to-back poll rallies in support of BJP candidates in Sarath and Godda assembly constituencies in Santhal Pargana division, accused the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance of "looting" the state.

"The JMM-led coalition government allowed infiltrators to become permanent citizens here... It is playing with the security of Jharkhand's 'beti, maati, roti' (daughter, mother, bread)," Modi alleged in Godda.

Stating that infiltration has assumed an alarming proportion in Jharkhand, he added: "The JMM-led coalition is facilitating infiltrators to occupy 'jal, jungle and jameen' (water, forest and land) of tribals."

He further said that statistics show that the tribal population especially in the Santhal Pargana division has "halved".