Ranchi, Nov. 4: An Ajsu Party MLA has resigned from Tribal Advisory Council (TAC) to protest the Raghubar Das government's bid to amend Chotanagpur Tenancy (CNT) Act and Santhal Pargana Tenancy (SPT) Act, widening the rift within the ruling NDA in the state, where the Ajsu is an ally of the BJP.
Tamar MLA Vikas Kumar Munda, who abstained from yesterday's TAC meeting where an overwhelming majority of BJP-inclined members, led by Das, ratified proposed amendments with small modifications, in his resignation letter to the chief minister's office on November 3, said he was "hurt".
"Being a tribal, I am hurt that the government is trying to amend the tenancy Acts. (The move) has hurt the sentiments of tribals because it goes against their interest," Munda wrote in the letter that the CM's office received today.
Ajsu president Sudesh Mahto has earlier publicly cautioned the government against making changes in tenancy acts, saying he was not on the same page with the BJP.
Though Sudesh could not be contacted for his comments on whether Munda consulted him before resigning from the TAC, insiders said the move had the party's backing.
Ajsu MLA Chandraprakash Choudhary, a minister in the Raghubar Das cabinet, played safe. "I can't comment as the MLA did not speak to me."
The new TAC was formed on May 5, 2015. With Munda's resignation, it has 18 members, two less than its cap, including chairperson Das, the state's first non-tribal head.
Welfare minister Louise Marandi of the BJP is the vice-chairman and welfare secretary Himani Pande the member-secretary of the tribal outfit. TAC members include minister Neelkanth Singh Munda as well as BJP MLAs Vimla Pradhan, Gangotri Kujur, Hare Krishna Singh, Laxman Tudu, Tala Marandi, Ram Kumar Pahan, Menka Sardar, Shiv Shankar Oraon, JMM MLAs Joba Manjhi and Deepak Birua, Jharkhand Party MLA Enosh Ekka and JBSP MLA Geeta Koda, former home secretary J.B. Tubid and social worker Ratan Tirkey.
Yesterday, Munda apart, Neelkanth, Tala and some others did not attend the TAC meeting as well.
