Setting a 2024 deadline for completing the National Register of Citizens (NRC) across the country, Union home minister and BJP president Amit Shah on Monday declared at poll rallies in Jharkhand that “each and every infiltrator will be expelled before the next general elections”.

Speaking at Chakradharpur and Baharagora, Shah trained his guns on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who was also in the state on Monday to campaign for his party. “Rahul says, ‘Don’t expel them, reports Times of India.

Shah said national matters like uprooting terrorism and Naxalism, and construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya were as important as local issues in the Jharkhand elections.

The BJP chief also raised the Article 370 and Ayodhya issues and accused Congress of deliberately keeping these pending for 70 years.

“For 70 years, they sat on these issues just because of vote-bank politics. Modiji scrapped Article 370 and J&K became a part of the country forever,” he said as crowds cheered.