BJP expert in spreading hatred, spent Rs 500 cr on campaign against me, alleges Jharkhand CM
Ranchi (PTI): A day after Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren charged the BJP with "launching a whisper campaign to influence voters", he hit out at the saffron camp again on Tuesday, alleging that the opposition party in the state spent over Rs 500 crore in "malicious campaigns" against him.
Soren also accused the BJP of being an "expert in fulfilling political ambitions by inciting hatred among people".
He claimed that Jharkhand's culture does not allow such "malicious campaigns".
"It is the easiest thing for leaders to fulfil their political ambitions by inciting hateful feelings in you. This campaign is the easiest and the BJP is an expert in it. But I am from Jharkhand - our culture doesn't allow this and I will never do this," Soren claimed in a post on X.
"According to one estimate, the BJP has spent more than Rs 500 crore on shadow, whisper and hate campaigns against me," the JMM leader alleged.
Soren also accused the BJP of bringing in people from Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Bengal to campaign against him and allegedly instil fear among voters on roads and intersections during the election period.
"People from Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Bengal are seen discussing the elections on roads and intersections in the constituencies where elections are being held. This is BJP's new gimmick, called the 'whisper campaign'. For this, over Rs 1 crore has been spent in each constituency. They will not come and talk about their work, instead, they will scare you with lies," Soren had said, sharing a video of the alleged campaign.
He said there was "no truth to the whisper campaign".
"We haven't collected donations by playing with the lives of the countrymen through electoral bonds, fake medicines, or fake vaccines. Therefore, I appeal to all of you, the residents of Jharkhand, to openly campaign for me today and tomorrow, not in a 'whisper' — because it is not in the nature of Jharkhandis to be afraid," he claimed.
"Don't whisper, speak boldly!" Soren said, sharing a video in which youths sitting in a choupal are seen praising the BJP and criticising the JMM for alleged corruption.
Earlier, Soren had accused the BJP of running "shadow campaigns" to tarnish both his and the state's reputation.
He had alleged that the saffron party spent crores of rupees on various social media platforms and created "95,000 WhatsApp groups" to campaign against the JMM-led coalition in Jharkhand.
In response, the BJP claimed that these allegations reflected "Soren's desperation, frustration, and fear of losing the elections".
Earlier, the Jharkhand Police had registered FIRs against the operators of two social media accounts for allegedly running campaigns aimed at "maligning" the image of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and the state.
These FIRs were filed after Soren and the ruling JMM accused the BJP of running "shadow" campaigns against them.
Soren had previously claimed that "dictators may possess billions of rupees," but he believed it was "better to stick to principles than win through unfair means."
The CM also claimed that while the BJP "spent crores of rupees to tarnish his image", he himself had "not spent a single rupee on any promotion", which, he said, could be verified by checking the ad library of any social media platform.
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London, Nov 22: A bomb disposal squad deployed as a “precaution” to the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport concluded an investigation into a "security incident" on Friday after making a “suspect package” safe.
The South Terminal of Gatwick Airport, the UK's second busiest airport after Heathrow, which was briefly shut owing to the incident reopened following the incident.
The Gatwick is around 45 km south of London.
Two people detained during the enquiries have since been allowed to continue their journey as the airport was opened.
“Police have concluded their investigation into a report of a suspect package at Gatwick Airport. Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team made the package safe, and the airport has been handed back to its operator,” Sussex Police said in an updated statement.
“Two people detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys. There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel,” the statement added.
Earlier on Friday, the incident caused severe disruption at the busy airport’s South Terminal, while the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport remained unaffected.
“Police were called to the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport at 8.20 am on Friday (November 22) following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage,” a Sussex Police statement said.
“To ensure the safety of the public, staff and other airport users, a security cordon has been put in place whilst the matter is dealt with. As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team is being deployed to the airport. This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the South Terminal have been closed. We’d advise the public to avoid the area where possible,” it said.
Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of frustrated travellers being moved away from the terminal building.
Gatwick said it was working hard to resolve the issue.
“A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident," the airport said in a social media post.
“Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
Train and bus services that serve the airport were also impacted while the police carried out their inquiries.
In an unrelated incident in south London on Friday morning, the US Embassy area in Nine Elms by the River Thames was the scene of a controlled explosion by Scotland Yard dealing with what they believe may have been a “hoax device”.
“We can confirm the 'loud bang' reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers,” the Metropolitan Police said in a post on X.
“Initial indications are that the item was a hoax device. An investigation will now follow. Some cordons will remain in place for the time being but the majority of the police response will now be stood down,” it added.
