Ranchi: Jharkhand’s Leader of Opposition and BJP state president, Babulal Marandi, has accused Chief Minister Hemant Soren and a group of “corrupt and favored officials” of plotting to falsely implicate him in criminal cases.
Speaking to the media in Giridih on Monday, Marandi said he had received credible information suggesting a deliberate attempt to intimidate him due to his persistent stand against corruption and his vocal activism on public issues.
“I have consistently raised my voice against the liquor scam, the mining mafia, irregularities in the JPSC and JSSC exams, and widespread corruption in rural development schemes. These exposures have made me a target of political vendetta,” he said.
Marandi further alleged that this is not the first attempt to silence him.
“In the past, there was even a plan to target me with the help of militants in the Shikaripara region of Dumka. Following intelligence reports, the central government assigned CRPF personnel for my protection,” he added.
Issuing a direct challenge to Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Marandi said, “Once again, efforts are being made to suppress my voice through threats, false charges, and defamation. But I will not be silenced.”
Taking to social media, the BJP leader posted: “Hemant ji and your team of officials, if you believe threats and fabricated cases can shut me up, you clearly don’t know me. I may not speak much, but I never bow to fear.”
He ended his post with a poignant reminder: “Even when I lost my son to a militant attack, I didn’t step back. These petty tactics and smear campaigns won’t stop me from fighting for the people of Jharkhand.”
With inputs from IANS