"Corrupt JMM Leaders Including Hemant Soren Sitting On Congress Lap": Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah attacked Congress and said that the Congress party sees Jharkhand as an "ATM of corruption," adding that corrupt leaders of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) including former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren are sitting on "Congress lap."

Addressing a public rally in Jamtara in support of BJP candidate Sita Soren, the Union Home Minister on Friday also alleged that Congress and Hemant Soren's JMM are competing with each other on corruption in the state.

"Jharkhand is just a vote bank, property, land bank and corruption ATM for Congress and for the one who is requesting from jail. Hemant Soren is doing injustice to Jharkhand by sitting in the lap of Congress that roadblocked the development of Jharkhand for years just to become CM," Mr Shah said.

He further assured Sita Soren, the wife of Hemant Soren's late elder brother, Durga Soren, who died in 2009, of justice.

"Modi Ji believes that the development of the country is not possible without the development of Jharkhand. PM Modi will also come here after two days and today I have come here, the reason behind this is that Sita Soren is the candidate from here. Wife of Durga Soren who was a participant in the Jharkhand, Sita Soren did not get justice... She carried the heritage of Durga Soren. I assure her that even though Hemant Soren did not do justice to you, BJP will give you justice," he added.

Mr Shah claimed that PM Modi not only freed the country from Naxals, including red rebels in Budha Pahad in Jharkhand, but did "justice to tribals".

"Budget for tribals during the Sonia-Manmohan regime was barely Rs 25,000 crore. PM Narendra Modi enhanced it to Rs 1.25 lakh crore in 10 years," he said.

The BJP leader alleged that cattle smuggling was rampant in Jharkhand.

"The issue of infiltration here is a big question for the tribals. Congress, Hemant Soren and his minister who was just arrested, have carried out love jihad, land jihad and forest jihad against the tribals by infiltrating into Jharkhand.

Soren, who joined the BJP on March 19 and was declared the party's candidate from Dumka in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on March 24.

In the Lok Sabha election 2019, the BJP won 11 seats with a 51.9 per cent vote share, while Congress, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and ASJU won one seat each.

The elections for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held from April 19 to June 1, with the counting of votes scheduled for June 4.

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