Hazaribagh, Jharkhand:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday asked the people of Jharkhand to bring the BJP to power in the state to protect their “roti, beti, and maati” (livelihood, daughters, and land).

Addressing the Parivartan Maharally in Hazaribagh, he termed the BJP’s Parivartan Yatra not as a mere political campaign, but as a movement to safeguard the state’s future, and promised security for Jharkhand’s daughters, land, and livelihoods under a BJP-led government.

“The BJP guarantees that the safety of these three will be ensured if the government is formed here. A new dawn will descend in Jharkhand with today’s Parivartan Sabha,” he said.

PM Modi criticised the current Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand government, accusing it of hindering the state’s development. He blamed the Congress-JMM-RJD alliance for rampant corruption and mismanagement, claiming it has betrayed the very people who voted for them in the name of protecting the state’s natural resources.

“Everyone here knows that the ruling coalition has allowed unchecked loot of water, forest and land. Jharkhand will progress only when this government is thrown out of power. BJP’s Parivartan Yatra is not only a political movement, but a Sankalp Yatra to fulfil the dreams of the people,” he said, accusing the Soren government of siphoning off funds intended for tribal welfare programmes.

PM Modi also attacked Jharkhand’s Abua Awas Yojana and Maiya Samman Yojana, labelling them corrupt schemes designed to deceive the public ahead of elections. “The people of Jharkhand have to be careful of those who sell lies,” he said.

Taking aim at the Congress, PM Modi accused the party of neglecting tribal communities while favouring a single family for decades.

“Congress did not give importance to the tribal society which made big contributions in the freedom struggle. All the schemes were brought in the name of the members of a single family. Such family-oriented thinking has caused immense harm to the country. Today I am proud that our government has given full respect to the tribal heroes. We all lovingly call Lord Birsa Munda Dharti Aaba. Today, in his name, our government has started ‘Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan’,” he said.

PM Modi also raised concerns about the state government’s failure to deliver on promises, such as providing jobs and allowances for youth and women. He alleged that paper leak scandals have severely impacted the state’s youth, with exam papers being sold under the protection of the government, enriching a select few while ruining countless young lives.

He urged the people to reject the current government and embrace the BJP’s vision for a prosperous, corruption-free future.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s car was stuck in a muddy pothole today in Jharkhand where he had gone for a public rally. In a video, the car Shivraj Chouhan was travelling in can be seen tilted and stuck in a large pothole on a waterlogged road amid rainfall. His security then rushes to the car, trying to assess the situation. At the end, Shivraj Chouhan is seen stepping out of the vehicle. 

#WATCH | Jharkhand | Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s car today got stuck in a muddy pothole amid rains today in Baharagora where he was for a public rally pic.twitter.com/ZYrZanee9K

— ANI (@ANI) September 23, 2024

According to news agency ANI, Shivraj Chouhan’s car got stuck in Jharkhand’s Baharagora town. He is BJP’s Jharkhand election in-charge and was there to campaign for the party for the upcoming state assembly polls. 

While addressing a public rally today as it rained, Shivraj Chouhan drew an analogy between the dark clouds and the state’s ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha party, saying, “Just as clouds have come as a crisis, Hemant Soren government is a bigger crisis than these clouds…This is not JMM but ‘Jurm, Murder and Mafia’ government run by Hemant Soren.”

“The clouds are raining, lightning is flashing, and it is raining heavily, but still you are determined to bring about a change… Seeing this, today I can say that the darkness will fade away, the sun will rise, the lotus will bloom and change will come,” he added, according to ANI.

The state assembly polls in Jharkhand are slated for later this year as the five-year tenure of the Hemant Soren-led government will come to an end in January 2025.