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‘Hateful’, ‘venomous’: INDIA bloc writes to EC over Himanta’s speeches in Jharkhand

The letter, made public at a press conference Saturday, reproduced parts of Sarma’s speech to claim it was “stoking the flames of hatred and resentment” by using “venomous words” such as “infiltrators”.

On Saturday night, the BJP MLA from Barhampur constituency, Jitu Goswami, alleged that his vehicle was shot at during a procession at Mari Puthikhaiti village in Samaguri constituency.

Calling BJP Jharkhand election in-charge and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Sarma’s election speeches as “extremely divisive” and “hateful”, the INDIA bloc leaders have sought “immediate and strictest action” against him.

A letter, submitted to the Election Commission of India and the state’s chief electoral officer by the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), the Congress and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), said that Himanta Sarma “targeted” Muslims at a public meeting and programme in Sarath on November 1.

In his speech, he purportedly said that “they” vote for the same party but “we vote half here and half there”.

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Also Read | Jharkhand polls for driving out infiltrators, saving Hindus, claims Himanta

The letter, made public at a press conference Saturday, reproduced parts of Sarma’s speech to claim it was “stoking the flames of hatred and resentment” by using “venomous words” such as “infiltrators”. It also flagged an interview in which he targeted Congress minority leaders and said in case the election body didn’t take action in the next 24 hours, they would move court.

“He has knowingly colouring all the people of a particular religious minority in one shade and portraying all of them to be infiltrators so as to exploit existing social divisions and exacerbate them for political gain and create communal tension and break the social fabric of the state of Jharkhand for electoral gains,” said the letter, demanding action to show that the “Commission does not stand by such actions of any person which can result in disturbing the process of free and fair elections”.

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