Ranchi: Hitting back at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over its criticism of delays in municipal elections, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) general secretary and spokesperson Vinod Pandey accused the party of being more concerned about grabbing power than upholding democratic values.
“BJP’s noise around the civic polls only reflects its growing frustration and desperation. It is not worried about democracy—it’s in a hurry to seize power,” Pandey said on Tuesday in Ranchi.
Defending the Hemant Soren-led state government, Pandey asserted that it remains fully committed to democratic principles and is actively working to secure the constitutional rights of all communities, including backward classes, Dalits, tribals, minorities, women, farmers, labourers, and the poor.
He emphasized that the government is following the Supreme Court-mandated “triple test” process to ensure reservation for backward communities in municipal elections, and accused the BJP of wanting elections without ensuring social justice.
“BJP has always had historical objections to reservation and the rightful participation of backward classes. Now that the Hemant government is taking concrete steps to empower them, the BJP is rattled,” Pandey claimed. He further alleged that the BJP wants democratic institutions to remain under bureaucratic and corporate control, while JMM envisions equal participation from all sections of society through elected representatives.
Responding to BJP’s allegations about election delays, Pandey said the government is taking all necessary and lawful steps to conduct elections, in compliance with directives from the Hon’ble High Court. “Before preaching about democracy, BJP should remember how, during its own tenure, it deliberately delayed civic polls and denied backward communities their rights,” he added.
Pandey concluded by saying that BJP’s real intention is not to strengthen democracy but to spread misinformation and mislead the public. He reaffirmed that the JMM government is determined to hold municipal elections that are fair, reservation-compliant, and constitutionally sound.