BJP Leaders Push ‘Mati, Beti, Roti’ Agenda in Jharkhand Polls
New Delhi: Given the spike in the first phase polling percentage, the BJP has grown in confidence of returning to power in Jharkhand. The party feels that its “mati, beti, roti” push in the tribal-dominated state has resonated well with the electorate and the extensive campaigning by its top leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and BJP chief J.P. Nadda, who held public rallies in Jharkhand on Sunday, will give it a clear edge in the second phase of the ongoing state polls.
In the first phase of polling on November 13, Jharkhand witnessed a turnout of 66.6 per cent in 43 Assembly constituencies, around three per cent higher than in the 2019 Assembly polls. Citing the surge, a senior BJP functionary said that the increased voting percentage shows that people came out to overthrow the Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand.
“People’s anger against the JMM misgovernance, corruption and appeasement are the reasons behind high voter turnout. Increased voter turnout is against the incumbent Hemant Soren government. The ground report received from across the states says the BJP-led NDA government will comfortably form the next Jharkhand government,” the saffron party leader said, asserting that more people will come out in the second phase of polling to throw out the incumbent JMM-led state government.
A BJP insider said that the mati, beti, roti slogan has resonated well with the electorate and has emerged to be one of the biggest issues in the ongoing Assembly polls.
Top BJP leaders, including Mr Modi, have repeatedly pointed out that changing demographics of Jharkhand because of unchecked illegal infiltrations jeopardize the state's and the nation’s security and have attributed it to the JMM and the Congress alliance's hunger for power.
In the run-up to the Jharkhand elections, Mr Modi has held over half-a-dozen rallies in the state and has repeated the BJP's call that it is time to "throw out the incumbent government" to protect mati, beti, roti.
Other BJP leaders have also harped on the illegal infiltration issue. A case in point, the Union home minister had said that the BJP will bring in a law to take back land from infiltrators in Jharkhand and identify and deport the illegal immigrants. He claimed that mati, beti, roti are under threat from the illegal immigrants and the BJP will provide security to the indigenous people.
“Electorate believes that our mati, beti, roti are under threat due to unchecked infiltration under the JMM-led coalition. People further believe that only the BJP can protect mati, beti, roti under the strong leadership of Mr Modi,” Mr Shah has often reiterated at his rallies in Jharkhand.
As Jharkhand prepares for the second phase of polling on November 20, the BJP chief, addressing election rallies at Gomia in Bokaro district on Sunday, pushed ahead with a similar narrative. Mr Nadda claimed that according to an “intelligence report”, the JMM-led coalition government in Jharkhand gave shelter to Bangladeshi infiltrators in madrasas and ensured that they got land and government documents like Aadhaar cards.
Mr Nadda also hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying that he talks about the Other Backward Classes during the elections but has not done anything for their welfare. He questioned how many OBC members were in the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, a social service organisation headed by senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, and the National Advisory Committee of the erstwhile UPA regime.
"I say with pride that there are 27 OBC ministers in Mr Modi's Cabinet," he said, claiming that the NDA government is bringing OBCs, tribals and SCs to the mainstream.
The BJP chief attacked Congress and the JMM, the two main constituents of the ruling coalition of Jharkhand, during his addresses at three election rallies during the day.
"The BJP-led government at the Centre spent `19-lakh crores to augment infrastructure and will spend `10-lakh crores more on it," he added.
"I have received an intelligence report just now. It says that Bangladeshi infiltrators are given shelter in madrasas here. Their Aadhaar, voter ID, gas connection and ration cards are facilitated, and then the Hemant Soren government ensures land for them,” he said.
Waiving a paper claiming to be the intelligence report, Mr Nadda said, "Mr Soren looted 'jal, jungle, jameen' (water, forest, land) of Jharkhand. Infiltration is rampant here. Infiltrators are marrying tribal women and grabbing their land. We will bring a law to ensure that their offspring are debarred from getting the land. Only the PM Modi-led BJP government can check infiltration.”
Charging the Hemant Soren government with promoting infiltration, Mr Nadda said that if the BJP is voted to power, a law will be enacted to check the transfer of land to the offspring of infiltrators who marry tribal women.
Mr Nadda also termed the JMM-RJD-Congress alliance as a family of corrupt people, claiming that INDIA bloc leaders were either in jail or out on bail.
