Union home minister Amit Shah’s announcement on Sunday of the BJP’s intention to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Jharkhand has set the stage for a confrontation with chief minister Hemant Soren.

While releasing the BJP manifesto for the Assembly elections in Jharkhand, Shah announced: “Our government will introduce the UCC in Jharkhand but tribals will be kept out of its ambit.”

He added: “Hemant Soren and the JMM government are spreading false propaganda that the UCC will impact tribal rights, culture and relevant legislation, which is totally baseless as they will be kept out of its ambit.”

A few hours after Shah’s announcement, Soren said that neither the NRC nor the UCC would be implemented in Jharkhand and only the SPT (Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act) and the CNT (Chota Nagpur Tenancy Act) would prevail.

These two pre-Independence special land tenancy Acts aim to protect the ownership rights of tribals over their land. According to these Acts, only tribals can purchase land owned by fellow tribals.

Challenging Shah at an election rally at Garhwa on Sunday evening, Soren said: “In Jharkhand, neither the NRC nor the UCC would be implemented. Here only the CNT and the SPT would prevail. These people (BJP) are creating divisions.... It’s important to stay safe from them.”

The home minister on Sunday said that the BJP would bring in a law to take back land from “infiltrators” in Jharkhand and identify and deport the illegal immigrants.

Shah claimed that “Mati, Beti, Roti” (land, daughter and food) were under threat from the illegal immigrants and the BJP would provide security to the indigenous people.

The local administration encourages infiltration in Bengal and Jharkhand, Shah alleged. He accused the JMM-led government of patronising infiltrators, claiming that the tribal population was dwindling in the state and its demography waschanging fast.

Shah promised that the BJP would bring in a stringent law to take back land from “infiltrators” in Jharkhand and drive them out.

He also announced “Operation Suraksha”, promising to end human trafficking in Jharkhand by 2027.