Assam CM and BJP's co-in-charge for Jharkhand assembly polls, Himanta Biswa Sarma, believes he does no wrong even though the outgoing alliance govt of JMM-Congress-RJD has long accused him of divisive politics on communal and caste lines. He says infiltration is a growing menace and the sooner we realise it, timely steps can be taken to prevent demographic changes. Ahead of the first phase of voting in Jharkhand for 43 seats on November 13, Sarma spoke to TOI's ASRP Mukesh on Sunday. Excerpts:
Q: The opposition parties often accuse you of trying to divide people on communal lines but you keep raising the Bangladeshi infiltration in Jharkhand. How do you respond to it?
A: I don't think I am doing anything wrong if I am raising this issue. Every countryman should speak against the demographic change that is happening. In the past, too, I said Assam suffered a lot due to this, so we should not allow that to happen in Jharkhand. The state govt, too, must speak up.
Q: Reacting to your presence in Jharkhand, outgoing CM Hemant Soren at a news meet on Saturday night remarked that you took "supari" to topple his govt. Your comments?
A: It is true that I am here to change the govt. But "supari" is not the right word for a CM to use against me (another CM). Aisa language unko shobha nahi deta (Such a language doesn't fit his stature). But I don't have a problem if he believes that I am here to install our govt.
Q: The PM and BJP have now started accusing Congress, saying it wants to win elections to convert states into their ATMs. At a rally in Maharashtra on Saturday, Modi referred to Karnataka and Telangana as examples. Your take?
A: If the PM is saying this, then people should accept it as he doesn't speak without facts. All know in the political circles how Karnataka has turned into a Congress's ATM. Jharkhand shouldn't go that way now.
Q: Central agencies have again become active as the date of voting is nearing. On Saturday, the I-T department conducted raids against Hemant's close aide in Ranchi and other places. How would you defend it?
A: I don't know about those raids. I don't even bother about them as I am busy with other important work.