RSS not rats' but Hindu lions', BJP hits back at Jharkhand CM Soren

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday asserted that the RSS is not rats' as stated by Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren but Hindu lions', and accused him of patronising Bangladeshi infiltrators for political gains.

Soren, also the executive president of the ruling JMM, on Wednesday compared the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh with "rats" and accused both the BJP and the RSS of attempting to undermine communal harmony in the state for the sake of garnering votes.

"Hemant Soren compared RSS with rats. This is an insult to the 'Hindu lions' who are working to restore the glory of Sanatan dharma. Soren is working in the pattern of George Soros. For petty political gains, he (Soren) is patronising Bangladeshi infiltrators," Amar Kumar Bauri, Leader of the Opposition in Jharkhand Assembly, told PTI.

The BJP has been accusing Soros, a Hungarian-born US billionaire, of targeting the Indian democratic system so that people hand-picked by him get to run the government.

Taking a jibe at Soren's remarks that demographic changes did not occur in Jharkhand, Bauri claimed that the chief minister is concerned only about him and his family and their welfare.

He said, "The place Bhognadih from where he said there was no demographic change has been the main centre of the Santhal revolt of 1855. I want to ask him how only seven Santhal families were left there out of 40,000. Where did they vanish if there are no demographic changes?"

On 30 June 1855, a large number of Santhals assembled in a field in Bhognadih and declared themselves free. They took an oath under the leadership of Sidho Murmu and Kanhu Murmu to fight to the last against the British rulers as well as their agents.

Addressing a rally at Bhognadih in Sahibganj, Soren claimed that the BJP is sowing discord between Hindu and Muslim communities, specifically pointing to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's outbursts against his government. Sarma is the BJP's election co-incharge in Jharkhand.

"RSS is invading the state like rats and destroying it. Chase such forces away when you see them entering your villages with 'handia' and 'daru' (locally brewed liquor)...They want to create communal disturbances and tension ahead of elections for political gains," Soren said while speaking at the rally virtually from Ranchi.

He questioned the Assam CM's presence in Jharkhand while tribals in his own state allegedly face atrocities.

Soren also wrote a letter to Sarma on this issue on Wednesday.