Jharkhand finance minister Rameshwar Oraon sat in a dharna in Khunti on Monday to protest against Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) summonses to top Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
Oraon led a group of about 50 Congress workers who protested for about three hours opposite deputy commissioner’s office at Khunti on Ranchi-Chaibasa Road.
They later submitted a memorandum addressed to the governor by the local district Congress committee through Khunti DC.
“The ED action against senior Congress leaders reflects the politics of vendetta of the ruling dispensation at the Centre,” Oraon said, adding the ED officials were also aware of it but they were helpless.
“We have no objection to any action against corruption but there was no corruption involved in The National Herald case and the summonses were issued out of a biased attitude of the present central government,” the finance minister said.
“People are getting the message and realising that the central government is trying to take revenge against those vocal leaders who oppose it,” said Alok Kumar Dubey, a senior Congress leader who accompanied Oraon.
He also added that public attention is being drawn because not only Jharkhand finance minister but also chief ministers of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh took to the streets to lodge their protest against the ED action.
“The BJP government at the Centre is trying to divert people’s attention from its failure in many other fronts,” said Lal Kishor Nath Shahdeo who also accompanied the minister as another leader, Rajesh Gupta, pointed out poor economic condition, unemployment and price rise as burning issues of the country.
“Today’s dharna injected enthusiasm among our party workers by marking the beginning of a new movement here,” said Khunti district Congress president Ramkrishna Chaudhary.
The Jharkhand state Congress committee was to stage a protest in front of the local ED office but revised their plan due to prevailing prohibitory orders in Ranchi. They instead sat in a dharna at their own party headquarters.