Bangladeshi, Rohingya infiltration major threat to Jharkhand: PM Modi
Jamshedpur (Jharkhand) (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accused the ruling JMM-led coalition in Jharkhand of patronising Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltration for vote bank politics.
He said infiltrators from the neighbouring country are a major threat to Jharkhand as they are changing the demography of the Santhal Parganas and Kolhan regions of the state.
"Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltrators have become a major threat to Santhal Parganas and Kolhan regions. The demography of these regions is changing fast. The tribal population is on the decline. The infiltrators are establishing control of the panchayat system, grabbing land, indulging in atrocities on daughters of the state...Each Jharkhand resident is feeling unsafe," the prime minister said while addressing the 'Parivartan Maharally' of the BJP at Gopal Maidan here.
He also alleged that the JMM was "supporting infiltrators" and the fact was that "illegal immigrants from the neighbouring country managed to establish influence" over the ruling party in the state.
Modi termed the JMM, RJD and the Congress as the "biggest enemies of Jharkhand", asserting that these parties were "power-hungry" and "indulged in vote bank politics".
The PM also alleged, "The JMM-led government has been trained by Congress' school of corruption. It is time to bid farewell to the JMM that looted mines, minerals and Army land."
Modi, who was scheduled to reach Jamshedpur via a chopper, had to travel to the steel city on the road as his helicopter could not take off due to inclement weather conditions.
"No obstacles, including heavy rain, could prevent me from reaching you, I am touched by your affection," he said.
He also asserted that the BJP is set to come to power in the state after the assembly polls due later this year.
"If the BJP comes to power, it will launch a probe into deaths of aspirants during excise constable recruitment drive," he said.
Modi accused the JMM-led coalition of targeting BJP leaders and framing false cases against them.
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Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
