Marandi wanted to change Soren govt, but I said can’t do in democracy: Shah

Addressing a public meeting in Jharkhand’s Chaibasa, Shah also took the Soren government to task over the state government’s domicile policy, which has set 1932 as the cut-off year for proof of land records for defining a local resident.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah during Vijay Sankalp rally in Chaibasa, Jharkhand, Saturday. PTI

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Days after Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren raised allegations that BJP was trying to destabilise his government after he was embroiled in a mining lease controversy, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said Jharkhand BJP Legislature Party leader, Babulal Marandi, had urged him to “change the government in Jharkhand”, but he said that a government cannot be changed like this in a democracy.

Addressing a public meeting in Jharkhand’s Chaibasa, Shah also took the Soren government to task over the state government’s domicile policy, which has set 1932 as the cut-off year for proof of land records for defining a local resident. Shah accused Soren of “widening the divide” in the state and said he has “cheated” people of Chaibasa, whose land record settlement year is 1964.

On Marandi approaching him to change the JMM-led coalition government, Shah said: “Mujhe Babulal-ji ne kaha sarkar badal do. (Maine kaha) Babulal-ji, loktantra hai, sarkar mai nahi badal sakta. Lekin is baar jo parinaam aane waley hain, Jharkhand ki janta sarkar mein nischit parivartan karne wali hai (Babulal Marandi asked me to change the government, but I said this is a democracy, and I cannot change a government like this. But in the coming elections, people of Jharkhand will certainly change this government.)”

In recent weeks, Soren had on multiple occasions accused the BJP of trying to bring down his government — at one point, he had even sent many MLAs to Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh, purportedly to save them from BJP’s alleged poaching attempts. The BJP had denied the allegations.

Arriving in the state on Saturday, Shah held a core committee meeting of state BJP in Chaibasa and later, addressing the well-attended rally, alleged that Soren has “looted” Jharkhand and has not been able to “protect tribal women from infiltrators”, who, he alleged, marry them to usurp their land.

Shah alleged that during his tenure as the chief minister since 2019, Soren has indulged in corruption and “given lands of tribal people to infiltrators”.

He said, “The youth (in Chaibasa) have been cheated in the name of jobs and domicile policy. The entire Chaibasa has its settlement year as 1964. So, tell me, will you get jobs on the basis of this domicile policy?”

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Accusing the state government of “increasing the divide”, he said, “If you (Soren government) don’t have the capability to give jobs then vacate your seat of power. We will come and lead Jharkhand to progress.”

The Home Minister charged that Soren has given the reins of the state to “extortionists and middlemen” while driving a wedge between “Adivasis and non-Adivasis”, and “Adivasis and backwards”.

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He said, “People voted you to power, but you have handed the reins to extortionists and middlemen. Illegal infiltrators are marrying Scheduled Tribes women forcefully and taking away their land. I have come here to warn you to stop infiltrators, or else people will not forgive you.”

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