Congress promises LPG benefit to ‘infiltrators’ in Jharkhand, JMM clarifies after BJP lashes out

On By Pranco

Congress leader Ghulam Ahmed Mir sparked a row after he allegedly promised LPG cylinders to ‘infiltrators’, prompting a clarification from Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.

A video circulated on social media in which Mir said that Congress will provide LPG cylinders to everyone, including ‘infiltrators’.

“We have promised that we will supply gas cylinders worth Rs 450 from December 1 if our government is formed. This will be for the common masses… be they Hindus, Muslims or infiltrators – it will be given to all Jharkhand citizens, none others. It will be taken into account,” Mir said in the video.

Mir later provided an explanation, saying that half of the clip is circulating on social media. “In the first half of the clip, we asked the BJP government at the Center to identify who these infiltrators are, otherwise they will name people of Jharkhand as infiltrators,” Mir said.

“In that context, we have said that the LPG cylinders will be given to the residents of the state. If in the eyes of the BJP they are infiltrators then that is their problem, for us they are residents,” he added .

The alleged statement angered the Bharatiya Janata Party as Prime Minister Narendra Modi kept the election promise and said this is an example of the game Congress is playing with the country and the bright future of children to get votes.

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the Congress-JMM-RJD government is “patronizing infiltration in Jharkhand”.

At another meeting in Bokaro, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, “The Congress in charge has promised to give cylinders to Hindus, Muslims and infiltrators. The BJP will not allow tribal rights to be handed over to infiltrators.”

In an attempt to quell the BJP’s mounting attacks, JMM issued a statement saying that by infiltrators, Mir meant Muslims as “in the eyes of the BJP, infiltrators are Muslims…”

“Mir Sahab has clearly said that we will give it to everyone (LPG cylinder for Rs 450), we are not doing ‘jumlabaazi’, we will give it to everyone – Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, tribals, non-tribals “In the eyes of the BJP, infiltrators are Muslims,” said JMM leader Manoj Pandey.

“Mir Sahab said we will also give it to infiltrators, which means we will give it to all those Muslims who are our citizens, original inhabitants of this place. We are committed, we will give a cylinder for Rs 450 and people also believe in our words,” he added.