Launching a scathing attack on the incumbent Hemant Soren government a week ahead of Jharkhand Assembly polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said it put appeasement at the top of its agenda.

Addressing a rally in Jharkhand’s Garhwa, the Prime Minister said the coalition government of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Congress and RJD are “supporters of Bangladesh infiltrators”. “The JMM-RJD-Congress government has taken appeasement to its peak. These parties are destroying the state’s social harmony. They are supporters of infiltrators. To get votes of Bangladesh infiltrators, they are getting them settled across Jharkhand,” he said.

“When schools disallow Saraswati Vandana, you can imagine how big the danger is. When there is stone-pelting during festivals, Maa Durga is stopped and curfew is imposed, you know how dangerous it is. When the issue of infiltration goes to court and the administration denies, it become clear that the government machinery has been infiltrated. They are taking your roti, beti and maati,” the Prime Minister said. He was referring to allegations that a Muslim teacher stopped prayers to Goddess Saraswati at a school in Jharkhand’s Giridih.

“If the bad policies of JMM, Congress and RJD continue, the adivasi society in Jharkhand will shrink. So, use your vote to uproot this infiltrator coalition,” he said, adding that Jharkhand’s swift development is possible only if it has a government that expedites the implementation of central schemes.

In a direct offensive targeting Hemant Soren, the Prime Minister referred to the JMM’s decision to replace Champai Soren as Chief Minister after Hemant Soren was granted bail in a money laundering case. Champai Soren, one a trusted lieutenant of Hemant Soren, is now with the BJP.

“What did they do with Champai Soren ji! They left no stone unturned in humiliating an adivasi son. How will they care for you when nothing matters to them more than family. I would ask every young man of Jharkhand, it is necessary to teach a lesson to such selfish parties,” the Prime Minister said, adding, “I don’t have a family, you are my family.”

Accusing the ruling coalition of corruption, he said, “Corruption hollows out the country like termites. It destroys the poor, Dalits, people from backward classes and tribals. Jharkhand has seen for five years the corruption of the JMM-Congress-RJD government.”

The Prime Minister then referred to the massive cash haul from the home of Congress’s former Rajya Sabha MP Dhiraj Sahu last year. “Mountains of cash are recovered from the home of Congress’s Rajya Sabha MP. I have never seen such mountains. I saw them on TV. Machines got tired during the counting, Didn’t this money belong to Jharkhand?” he asked.

Earlier, the Congress had said Mr Sahu is from a business family and the cash recovered was in no way linked to the party or the state government.

Canadian cops clashed with Hindu devotees protesting an attack on a temple near Toronto by “anti-India elements”. The cops assaulted the temple-goers, many of whom were waving the Indian flag, showed a video shared by a Canadian journalist. It also captured a cop charging at a protester and landing multiple punches times on him.

“He is hitting with a stick,” the woman who filmed the video is heard saying as she points to an officer, accusing him of assaulting the protesters. The enraged crowd soon starts shouting “take him out”.

BREAKING: The RCMP start attacking Hindu worshippers on their own temple grounds in Surrey BC.
Watch as an RCMP officer goes into the crowd to go after Hindu devotees after pushing them back to protect the Khalistanis who came to harass the temple goers on Diwali. Punching Hindus… pic.twitter.com/uugAJun59q

— Daniel Bordman (@DanielBordmanOG) November 4, 2024

The journalist who shared the video claimed that the cops went after the Hindu devotees to protect the “Khalistanis who came to harass the temple goers on Diwali”.

A mob stormed the Hindu Sabha temple in Brampton earlier in the day and attacked devotees, which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned. “The acts of violence at the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton today are unacceptable. Every Canadian has the right to practice their faith freely and safely,” Trudeau posted on X.

The Indian embassy said “anti-India elements” orchestrated the violence outside its consular camp co-organized by the temple. Calling it “deeply disappointing”, the embassy said there were similar attempts to disrupt camps in Surrey and Vancouver over the past two days.

The incidents come amid diplomatic tensions between the two countries triggered by Trudeau’s accusation that India was behind the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India, which trashed the charges as baseless, had also accused Canada of providing a safe haven to terrorists and extremists.

The Election Commission has transferred Maharashtra DGP Rashmi Shukla following Congress’ complaint of bias against the opposition in the upcoming elections. The chief secretary must now appoint a new DGP. Congress cited increased political violence and Shukla’s alleged partiality and previous misconduct as reasons for her removal, seeking fair conduct during the election period.