RSS and BJP for more than two decades have been complaining of Bangladeshis having settled in UP, Delhi, MP, Maharashtra, and even in Gujarat. Their number is not so alarming and moreover they have assimilated into the main Indian life. It is very difficult to segregate them from a common Indian. But even then, the saffron ecosystem has been demanding for their identification and deporting them.

But in their election campaigning in Jharkhand this time, Narendra Modi and particularly Amit Shah have been harping that ‘infiltrators’ from Bangladesh are “snatching bread, daughters and land” of the state’s original inhabitants. What has been quite significant and probably has remained unnoticed is that a short of catch words — Roti-Beti-Mati (Bread-Daughter-Land) is quite attractive to the Jharkhandis and it angers a one section against the other.

RSS has been working amongst the Adivasis for last 80 years, decades before Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar.. During these years saffron ecosystem’s primary enemies were the Christian missionaries. Obviously an organisation having its strong base in the Adivasi belt ought to have raised its voice when the Bangladeshis started intruding the region. They would have entered into matrimonial relations, as alleged by our learned Modi and Shah, much after their entry.

Significantly during the 24 years of existence of Jharkhand, the BJP was in power for 17 years. Why the BJP stalwarts and their state chief ministers did not initiate measures to check this, if at all it was happening. The only reason for their turning blind eyes to this trend may be attributed to their obsession to serve their corporate and big business masters. They turned Jharkhand into a colony of the corporates.. Their allegation that this is because of the support the “infiltrators” get from the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance government; the “intruders” are the vote banks of the INDIA bloc partners, is merely an attempt to fool the people and serve the political and economic interest of their masters.

It is worth mentioning that barely a month back the Union minister Giriraj Singh had organised a Hindu Swabhiman Yatra in Bhagalpur, Purnea, Katihar, Araria, Madhepura and Kishanganj, bordering districts of Seemanchal. These districts of Bihar have high proportion of the Muslim population, more than in the remaining areas of the state.

Saffron ecosystem singling out Muslims certainly is a move to polarise the Hindus. But it has no more a peripheral importance. It ought to be seen in proper perspective. Jharkhand is the mineral rich state in India and has international importance. Modi’s friend Adani has already set up its power plant in Godda which supplies power to Bangladesh.

It ought to be mentioned that BJP has long been harping on the need for a separate Union territory along the border of Bihar and Bengal. According to the saffron ecosystem, this is necessary to form a Centrally-governed area to deal with China, Myanmar, Bangladesh .By putting forward this argument in public domain, they were in fact trying to conceal some big plan.

By entrusting the Assam chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sharma, to plan and manage the assembly election in Jharkhand, the saffron camp has made its intention clear. Sharma has already implemented the strategy. Of course he is a rich politician with contacts supposed to finance the BJP electioneering. His primary task has been to ensure that the issue of intrusion attracts the attention of the people of state. It is worth recalling that Shah had threatened to “hang the intruders upside down” after Hasina had taken shelter in India.

One aspect is also noticeable. Majority of the people from Bengal who migrated to Adivasis areas of Jharkhand belong to the ST community in West Bengal. Modi and Shah ought to know that Mahatos and Kurmis who constitute significant portion of the Jharkhand population belong to the Adivasi community and have played a major role in the liberation of the area from British rulers. They had played a major and significant role in creating JMM and shaping Shibu Soren as the Adivasi leader.

In an affidavit filed before the high court in September 2024, the Union government pleaded that the decline could be because of migration, high infant mortality, or conversion to Christianity. Astonishing it did not mention is that an increasing number of tribals have been insisting that they are not Hindus and that their faith should be described as ‘Sarna Dharma’. The practice of clubbing all non-Christian Adivasis as ‘Hindu’ is no longer valid.

Only couple of days back Hemant Soren accused the BJP of squeezing the state like a lemon” for almost two decades and “smashing” the backbones of poor states. He also charged the BJP-led Centre with “destroying” the federal structure of the country. They plundered Jharkhand’s wealth. It is a paradox that Jharkhand, rich in mineral resources, is one of the poorest states,” Jharkhand Chief Minister Soren claimed.

First Muslim contingents arrived in Jharkhand territory 800 years ago and settled in the villages of Mundas. They mixed with the locals in such a way that they forgot their own culture, language and life-styles. The most surprising matter is that the residents of this territory not only treated them as their own but according to Father Hoffman, 'they adopted Arabic and Persian words in their own language. Muslims set up their mosque in Jharkhand territory for the first time in 1661 in Dayoodnagar. Later on madrasas were set up. In 1740 it was the first chance when a Muslim known as 'Hidamatullah Khan' was nominated as jagirdar of Japla in Jharkhand.

Unfortunately contribution of Muslims in the formation of Jharkhand state is being ignored. Saffron ecosystem creates the impression that Muslims are outsiders. They fought to liberate India from the clutches of the British colonial rule. Shaikh Bhikhari is one of the heroes who fought against the Britishers and sacrificed his life for the country. When he was 38 years old in 1857, Thakur Vishwanath Shahdeo gave him an opportunity to become an active member of Mukti Vahini. He helped the Indian army when there was revolt at Doranda (Ranchi) on 31 July 1857. Bhikhari awakened the Santhalis of Santhal Pargana to revolt against the Britishers.

It is a fact that Muslims throughout Jharkhand region were first to raise the Jharkhand issue. In 1912 Asmat Ali gave a call for the separation of Jharkhand from Bihar for the first time. And in 1936 Momin Conference passed the resolution calling for a separate Jharkhand state. In 1952 Chiragh Ali Shah raised the voice for the fulfillment of this demand and in 1989 Jharkhand Qaumi Tahrik played an important role to lead Jharkhand movement. (IPA Service)