Gourav Vallabh slams Soren govt over infiltrators influx, says ‘rights of tribal population will be restored’

Ranchi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Gourav Vallabh, in a scathing critique of Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand on Sunday, said that the infiltrators were on the rise in tribal state and posing a threat to the state’s demography.

He also accused the JMM government of facilitating a demographical disruption in the region and not taking any prohibitory action against infiltrators and refugees.

Gourav Vallabh, speaking to IANS, elaborated on sinister plan of infiltrators to usurp the land and properties of tribal population by hiding their identity and asserted that the BJP, when voted to power, will restore their rights.

“The machinations of Hemant Soren government to reduce the indigenous tribal population in predominantly tribal areas will be reversed,” he said.

Highlighting issues of infiltration in regions like Santhal Pargana, where the tribal population has seen a decline over the years, he remarked that Soren’s ministers and supporters were ‘rolling out red carpets’ for the infiltrators, in hope of nurturing them as a dependable vote bank.

“In any scenario, Jharkhand’s tribal rights will not be sacrificed. If any rights or land have already been taken away, they will be restored to the rightful tribal owners,” he pledged.

The BJP leader claimed that there have been cases where outsiders, who have come to the region from other countries, are marrying tribal women under false pretenses to acquire their lands.

“These lands will be returned to the rightful tribal owners, especially to the tribal women who have been exploited. No one will be allowed to unfairly claim tribal land or deceive the tribal community in Jharkhand,” he added.

He also affirmed party’s commitment on implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state.

“Our commitment to UCC remains strong, but we are equally determined to exempt the tribal community’s customs and traditions from UCC provisions,” he emphasised.

He also criticised Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s comments on vacancies in Central Universities and said that Karnataka, the state which Congress president represents and the party is in power, has a 62 per cent vacancy rate in universities.

“In some universities, up to 80 per cent of the teaching posts are vacant. And of these, 90 per cent of the SC/ST reserved positions remain unfilled. Instead of addressing these serious issues in his own state, Kharge has chosen to politicise the issue of educational vacancies here. But we will not let this prevent educational progress in Jharkhand or elsewhere,” he added.

–IANS