Speaker Inder Singh Namdhari administers the oath of office to JMM legislator from Poraiyahat Prashant Mandal. Picture by Prashant Mitra

Ranchi, April 1: Soon after taking oath as legislator, JMM’s Poraiyahat “champion” Prashant Kumar Mandal today challenged his predecessor, Pradeep Yadav, now a Lok Sabha member, to keep his word and quit politics. Mandal alleged that “money and muscle power” of the ruling BJP was defeated by the Poraiyahat electorate.

Mandal was elected to the Vidhan Sabha last week. The seat was vacated after Yadav was elected to the Lok Sabha from Godda. To retain the seat, the MP had launched a hectic campaign for his party nominee and cousin, Ajit Kumar Yadav. “Pradeep had openly announced that he would quit politics if the BJP lost the Poraiyahat bypoll. Now he should keep his word. He looted the people over the years in the name of developing his constituency. Everyone was fed up with him,” Mandal said.

The new legislator alleged that several criminal cases were pending against Pradeep Yadav, who was “instrumental in whipping up resentment against then chief minister Babulal Marandi, and now, conspiring to overthrow chief minister Arjun Munda”.

“This time too, Pradeep had allegedly grabbed 40 booths. Criminals were entrusted with the task of ensuring the BJP nominee’s victory. Over Rs 2 crore was spent by the BJP during the bypoll to retain the seat. But the electorate rejected the sops,” he said.

Mandal said all untoward incidents that took place during the bypoll ought to be probed thoroughly by an independent body and the guilty taken to task. “Pradeep Yadav, in connivance with industry minister Ravindra Rai and Manju Rai, siphoned crores of rupees meant for development projects. I will take to the streets on these issues,” he threatened.

The JMM is leaving no stone unturned to convince the people that the BJP’s days are numbered in Jharkhand. JMM president Sibu Soren is now busy touring Jharkhand for the success of “baha mela”.

Despite his commitments to the tribal cause, Soren is busy “canvassing” that unlike the BJP, the JMM does not intend to drive out “outsiders” from the state.

He said those who fought for Jharkhand “were still left in political wilderness while those who ridiculed the movement were ruling the roost now.”

“The BJP won the Godda Lok Sabha bypoll because of the sharp division in Opposition votes. But Opposition unity yielded fruitful results in Poraiyahat. My days in active politics are limited. It is for the younger leaders to steer Jharkhand in the right direction,” Soren recently said in Dhanbad.

EoM

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