|
|
Shibu Soren and son Hemant at the JMM’s 41st foundation day celebrations in Dhanbad on Monday. Picture by Gautam Dey
|
Dhanbad, Feb. 5: Senior JMM leaders turned on the BJP during the party’s 41st foundation day celebrations late last night at Golf Ground here, blaming the erstwhile ally for the current political instability in Jharkhand.
“We (JMM) are facing charges of creating the conditions that led to a fresh stint of President’s Rule in Jharkhand. But we withdrew our support to the government to save Jharkhand because if it remained in power for the next 28 months, the state would have plunged into extreme backwardness due to misrule by BJP,” said former deputy chief minister Hemant Soren.
Addressing around 20,000 people who had come from various parts of Dhanbad and adjoining districts like Giridih and Hazaribagh, the JMM scion also slammed BJP leaders for demanding Assembly election in Jharkhand.
“Instead of demanding election, the BJP legislators should first resign from the their posts,” he said, adding the people of Jharkhand should ask the BJP legislators whether they had elected them for six months or five years.
That a single party rule is critical for a stable political scenario in the state has apparently dawned on the JMM, too, like most other parties.
Hemant said only a government run by a single party that enjoys a clear-cut majority in elections could work for the development of Jharkhand, adding national parties (BJP, Congress) were only engaged in selfish benefits.
Five other MLAs — Mathura Prasad Mahto (Tundi), Haji Hussain Ansari (Madhupur), Jagannath Mahto (Dumri), Sita Soren (Jama) and Jaiprakash Patel (Mandu) — echoed his sentiments.
“We joined hands with the BJP to form government for the development of Jharkhand, but our ally overlooked the main agenda, compelling us to withdraw support,” Ansari said.
JMM supremo Shibu Soren, however, avoided making any political statement while addressing the gathering towards the end of the programme around 11pm. He only advised the people to concentrate on educating their children, as “the poor have continued to suffer while the rich have become richer in Jharkhand”.
|
