BJP questions Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s silence on infiltration in Sahibganj

RANCHI: Taking a dig at Congress to counter all-India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge’s ‘lack of freedom of speech jibe’ on Saturday, the opposition BJP questioned the party’s silence over Bangladeshi infiltration in Jharkhand.
While launching Congress’ state leg of ‘Haath se haath jodo yatra’ from Sahibganj, Kharge accused Modi government of scuttling the freedom of speech, opting for divisive politics and triggering polarisation in the country during its regime.
Reacting to it, state BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP Deepak Prakash questioned Kharge and his party’s silence over infiltration.
“Sahibganj and Pakur districts are infamous for Bangladeshi infiltration. BJP has been speaking against it for long, but the state government continues to turn a blind eye for its vote bank politics. JMM’s ally Congress, too, has exposed itself after Khargeji did not mention anything about it in the state, where they are in power in coalition,” he added.
Attacking further, he said, “Khargeji also did not speak a word about the illegal mining and loot of natural resources by their CM, his family, aides and ministers. While crime against women in Santhal Pargana, a tribal area, has increased manifold since the JMM-Cong-RJD government came to power, he (Kharge) also kept mum over it. In his maiden visit, Congress has exposed itself.”
Prakash accused the Congress of being anti-tribal. “Santhal Parganas is the land of great tribal freedom fighters, but Khargeji did not utter a word of respect for them. While BJP made a tribal lady the President of this country, it was Congress which had opposed it by propping a separate candidate. Congress has been anti-tribal all through its history,” he said, adding that the creation of Jharkhand was only made possible because the BJP-led NDA government was in power in Centre in 2000.
Prakash further alleged that India has become powerful only under the incumbent BJP regime. “It was the Congress under late Nehru’s regime after India’s independence which led to the partition of this country in 1947. Under Nehru’s regime, India lost 38,000 sq km area to China. There was a time when J& K was constantly under the shadow of terror. Today, the Indian Flag is flying high at Srinagar’s Lal chowk under Modi’s regime,” he said.