Jharkhand elections: What is the significance of 'Bangladeshi infiltration' issue in Santhal Pargana region?

As the dates of the Jharkhand Assembly elections are approaching, the political ground in the state has heated up with the Opposition - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attacking the Congress-JMM government over several issues, including Bangladeshi infiltration. Assam Chief Minister and BJP's Jharkhand in-charge Himanta Biswa Sarma accused the JMM-led coalition government of "patronising infiltrators" and claimed that this election would be fought to drive out illegal immigrants and protecting Hindus.

Drive out infiltrators, or else the Jharkhand Hindu population will decrease to 50 per cent in 20 years, claims Himanta.

"This election is for driving out infiltrators from Jharkhand and saving Hindus. It is time to remain united to save Sanatan. If infiltration is not checked, the Hindu population in Jharkhand will decline to 50 per cent in the next 20 years," Sarma said while addressing a BJP rally at Panki in Palamu in favour of party candidate Kushwaha Shashi Bhushan Mehta. Hindu population in Jharkhand has declined in several areas, he claimed.

"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. I appeal to you to remain united to drive out the JMM-led coalition from here. Infiltrators and a particular community are their vote bank," he added.

Tribal population decreasing in Jharkhand's Santhal Parganas: PM Modi

The BJP has been aggressive for a long time. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi also raised the issue during his Jharkhand visit ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 in May. Claiming that the tribal population was decreasing in the Santhal Parganas because of infiltration, the PM also accused the JMM-led ruling alliance in Jharkhand of "patronising" infiltrators, who he said were grabbing land and putting women at risk.

Addressing an election rally in Dumka, PM Modi said he had heard that the term "love jihad" was coined by the people of Jharkhand and that efforts were made in one district of the state to change the weekly holiday from Sunday, which was connected to the Christian community, to Friday.

Demand for NRC in Jharkhand's Santhal Pargana

BJP's Sarma asserted that the BJP would implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Jharkhand’s Santhal Pargana and Kolhan divisions, if the party is voted to power in the eastern state.

Why is the infiltration issue significant?

According to the Opposition, the Bangladeshi infiltrators are occupying Santhal Pargana and Kolhan divisions. The BJP accused the Hemant Soren government of creating obstacles in the way of construction of houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in the region. With BJP and ruling JMM at loggerheads over the infiltration issue, the region became one of the hot regions in the state.

BJP pushes 'infiltration' issue to breach JMM's stronghold

The BJP is hopeful for breaching Santhal Pargana, a traditional stronghold of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), riding on the Hindutva politics in which the saffron party claimed that the population of Hindus decreased in the region, while the Muslim population is on the rise.

What tally suggests

The BJP is aiming a tough fight against JMM in the 18 constituencies in six districts such as Deoghar, Godda, Sahebganj, Pakur, Dumka and Jamtara, bracketed in the region. The JMM won 9 seats out of 18 in the Jharkhand Assembly elections 2019. On the other side, BJP bagged only four seats in the region conceiving a loss of four seats compared to the 2014 assembly elections.

Santhal Parganas demography is changing

In September this year, the Central Government, in an affidavit, informed the Jharkhand High Court that Bangladeshi intrusion has changed the demography of Santhal Pargana, asserting that the tribal population in the region has decreased by 16 per cent. The Muslim population has increased by 20 to 40 per cent in six different districts of Santhal Pargana, the Centre informed the court. According to the 1951 census, the total population of Santhal Pargana was 23,22,092, of which Hindus were 90.37 per cent, Muslims 9.43 per cent, and Christians 0.18 per cent, the affidavit said. While, in the 2011 census, the total population the region was 69,69,097 of which Hindus were 67.95 per cent, Muslims 22.73 per cent, and Christians 4.21 per cent.

Muslim population has increased to 37 per cent: BJP

The BJP claimed that the Santhal Pargana region, which comprises six districts of Sahibganj, Godda, Pakur, Dumka, Deoghar and Jamtara, had a total population of 23. 22 lakh in 1951. "Of the 23.22 lakh population of Santhal Paragana in 1951, 21 lakh were Hindus and Adivasis and 9 per cent were Muslim. Now the Hindu and Adivasi population has declined to 63 per cent and the Muslim population has increased to 37 per cent," he claimed.

HC directs constitution of fact-finding committee on infiltration 

The infiltration issue is not only a political issue but a legal one as well. The matter is sub judice as the Jharkhand High Court in September this year ordered the constitution of 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.

The direction was given by a division bench of justices Sujit Narayan Prasad and Arun Kumar Rai while hearing a petition, which alleged that illegal immigrants from Bangladesh were entering Jharkhand through the porous borders in the Santhal Parganas region and affecting the indigenous population.

"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," the court said. "There is no denying that the problem of decline in the demography of the tribal population is currently affecting the population matrix of Jharkhand," it added. 

Elections to the 81-member assembly in the state will take place in two phases on November 13 and 20, and votes polled will be counted on November 23.

(With PTI inputs)

Also read: Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren targets Amit Shah, rejects UCC implementation in state