Ranchi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the opposition BJP accusing it of turning Jharkhand into a ‘Charagaah’ (grazing ground) and ‘Lootkhand’.
Replying on behalf of the government over the Motion of Thanks on Governor’s speech during the ongoing budget session of the Jharkhand Assembly he said that after the formation of Jharkhand for a majority period ‘they’ (BJP) were in power and now they are worried as to how they will come back in power.
He said that they are talking about corruption law and order but the situation has not emerged in a single day and everything has been done by them and his government was cleaning the mess created by the BJP. Hemant Soren said that people in the opposition represent such groups that have huge power and these groups run Gujarat Maharashtra and the entire country but why Jharkhand has fallen behind despite the fact that previously there was a double engine government in the state they need to answer.
He said that it is the responsibility of the people as well as elected representatives to maintain the identity of the state. Taking a swipe at the BJP he said that the friends of the opposition do not use the word Johar but now they have put a board outside their office with the same word.
He also pointed out that in the oath-taking of the new Chief Justice, he had started with the word Johar. He said that when the tribals are not getting due respect how can one imagine them occupying the top posts but his government is working with the view that all the poor tribals dalits and moolvasis get their due.
The Chief Minister said that his government believes in taking everyone together and everyone should get justice due to which whatever schemes and programs which have been started for the tribals and dalits the demand for the same is also being made by members of other communities and his government is trying his best to extend their benefits to other groups also.
Adding further he said that the government takes its work among the people through the Governor and he was running the government with positive thoughts and if he had wanted apart from lauding the achievements of the government he could have also highlighted the failures.
He said that reason behind child marriage and female feticide is illiteracy but the Savitri Bai Phule Yojana is helping to check it and is also helping in the education of the girls as when a girl is educated the future generation will also be educated.
Further attacking the BJP he said that GST has resulted in an average loss of Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 crore to the state and such a policy was framed which will cause losses to the state.
He also attacked the BJP for the Momentum Jharkhand event of the previous government and said that in their tenure the elephant was made to fly but on the ground, the land was looted. He also alleged that suspended IAS officer Pooja Singhal had done the Mnrega Scam under their tenure.
However, the opposition BJP boycotted the reply of the Chief Minister and staged a walkout. Later the motion of vote on thanks on the Governor’s speech was passed by a voice vote in the assembly after which Speaker Ravindranath Mahto adjourned the house till 1100hrs on Thursday.