The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday announced its commitment to implementing the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Jharkhand if it wins the upcoming state assembly elections. The party framed the move as essential to protecting the state from illegal immigration, which it claims is altering the region’s demographics, particularly in the Santhal Pargana area.
Union Minister and BJP’s Jharkhand election in-charge Shivraj Singh Chouhan stated that the party is determined to safeguard the state’s resources and population from the threat posed by alleged illegal immigrants. Speaking to the press, Chouhan emphasized the need to protect “Roti, Mati aur Beti” (livelihood, land, and women), underscoring what he sees as a pressing demographic crisis.
“Due to infiltrators from Bangladesh, the demographic composition of regions like Santhal Pargana is changing rapidly. Earlier, the tribal population in the Santhal region was more than 44%. Now, it has been reduced to 28%. The population is badly affected by these infiltrators,” Chouhan claimed, accusing the current state government, led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, of enabling this influx for political gains. “The Hemant Soren government is favouring the infiltrators for vote-bank politics. We will implement the NRC in Jharkhand to address this issue,” he added.
The NRC, which is a registry of all legal Indian citizens, was first implemented in Assam in 2013-14 with the aim of identifying and deporting illegal immigrants. The BJP has consistently raised concerns about the changing demographics in Jharkhand, particularly pointing to illegal immigration from Bangladesh, and has accused immigrants of marrying local tribal women, acquiring land, and taking jobs meant for locals.
These concerns were echoed in a recent hearing at the Jharkhand High Court, where the Ministry of Home Affairs filed an affidavit expressing the Centre’s concern over illegal migration in parts of Jharkhand. The court, too, observed a reduction in the tribal population in Santhal Pargana, an issue at the heart of the BJP’s campaign.
However, Chief Minister Soren has dismissed the BJP’s allegations, countering that critics should look to the demographic data from neighboring West Bengal rather than Jharkhand. “They talk about spoiling the demography and Bangladeshi intruders. I would like to tell them to go and get the data from the Centre and see in which district and in which state it has changed,” Soren said in response to the BJP’s claims.
With state elections expected in November or December this year, the Election Commission of India (ECI), led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, recently visited Ranchi to review poll preparations. A formal announcement of the election dates is still awaited.
During the ECI’s visit, a BJP delegation urged the commission to ensure that alleged illegal immigrants are not allowed to vote in the upcoming elections.
The BJP’s NRC pledge is likely to be a central issue in the party’s manifesto, set to be released in the coming weeks. The state, which elects 81 members to its legislative assembly, is poised for a heated contest as political parties gear up for the polls.
