As Jharkhand gears up for its assembly elections, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has stirred a controversy over alleged Bangladeshi infiltration in the Santhal Pargana region of the state. He says that this is causing damage to the demographical balance and rights of the indigenous communities. Sarma accused the JMM-led government of patronizing infiltrators and called for moves like the implementation of the NRC to arrest the menace. Local residents and their leaders have, on their part, denied the charges, citing long-standing domicile in the region. They said their families had resided in these places generation after generation, with valid documents including voter IDs, Aadhaar cards, and land documents dating as far back as 1932. These people said that charges of Bangladeshi infiltration are political game plays which did not match the ground situation.