PM, HM's visits to J'khand will boost INDIA bloc's vote share ahead of assembly polls: Cong leader

Jamshedpur, Jul 20 (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said INDIA bloc's vote percentage in the upcoming Jharkhand assembly polls will increase with each visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to the state.

At a press conference, AICC Executive Committee member Ajoy Kumar said the party welcomes frequent visits by Modi and Shah, as these will boost the INDIA bloc's vote percentage ahead of the elections later this year.

His remark came in response to BJP's concerns about the changing demographics of Santhal Pargana region due to alleged Bangladeshi infiltration.

Kumar accused the BJP of engaging in divisive politics and spreading hatred based on caste and creed. He criticised the BJP for not considering the 2011 census before raising such concerns and for pursuing "politics of polarisation" for political gains.

Asked about Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s similar concerns regarding nine districts becoming Muslim-majority areas, Kumar dismissed these claims as "lies." Kumar also criticised the BJP for not addressing core issues such as inflation, NEET-UG paper leaks, unemployment, and frequent rail accidents.

He pointed out that under the BJP-led government, 329 passengers had died in rail accidents over the past 10 years.

He highlighted the 2023 Balasore rail accident, which involved three trains and resulted in 296 deaths, as well as two other accidents - the Kanchanjunga Express derailment on June 17 and the Dibrugarh Express accident on July 18.

Kumar said the Narendra Modi government’s priority was to run the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train, costing Rs 1 lakh-crore, which has already been approved, rather than investing in anti-collision devices nationwide, which would cost Rs 65,000 crore. He also claimed that the Railway Safety Fund has been misused. PTI BS --- MNB