Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has levelled serious accusations against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, alleging negligence in controlling illegal immigration through Assam’s borders with Bangladesh.

Soren claimed that Sarma permits illegal entry of Bangladeshis into India and then shifts the blame, stating that these immigrants are settling in various states across the country.

"Why are you not closing the international border roads in your state?" Soren questioned on 4 September 2024, without directly naming Sarma, The Times of India reported.

Sarma, who is also overseeing the BJP’s campaign for the upcoming Jharkhand assembly elections alongside Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has been accused by Soren of attempting to incite communal tensions in Jharkhand for electoral gain.

Speaking at the launch of the South Chotanagpur leg of the Mukhyamantri Maiyaa Samman Yojana (MMSY) in Namkum, Soren alleged that Sarma’s frequent visits to Jharkhand are aimed at creating communal divides to benefit the BJP.

"BJP leaders from Jharkhand are nowhere to be seen. Instead, the party is bringing in leaders from Assam, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, who come here to speak against minorities and create discord among communities. One leader from Assam is particularly active in stoking communal tensions," Soren asserted.

Furthermore, the Jharkhand Chief Minister criticised the previous BJP governments at both the Centre and state for neglecting the issues faced by the people of Jharkhand, focusing instead on forming governments through questionable means.

"They deceive the poor Adivasis of the state and arrest those who dare to speak out against them," Hemant Soren added.

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