Few constituencies in Jharkhand have educated candidates, working continuously in the rural areas for long for several years ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. BJP’s candidate for Gumla Shivshankar Oraon, a postgraduate from JNU, is one such candidate who has been associated with the people of the area for long working in the field of education and community development. In course of intense political campaigning in far off regions of Gumla, Oraon shared his vision for development and issues of polls during this election with The Pioneer.
On being asked why the BJP has an edge over others this election in the constituency, Oraon says that it was nothing but the natural choice of the people of area.”People have seen BJP’s work since the sitting MlA is from this constituency. Junior Rural Development Minister at the Centre Sudarshan Bhagat is also from the region. In fact people wanted someone from grassroots who has worked with them and coincidently I was named to contest polls from here. I must tell you that people are more enthusiastic than me. People want work here. They are empowered and they just want moral support and feeling that the people’s representative is with them,” Oraon says.
“We have been running different campaigns for education and empowering people. We have launched a campaign for setting up a university here. We have been doing foot marches regularly in the villages here. Not only BJP workers and supporters but people in general recognize our good work so they will vote. People are aware of our work at the grassroot level,” he added.
Oraon also envisions Gumla as developed agricultural area in the coming years. He feels that the region has a lot of potential to develop as a green and rich belt. “There is no doubt that we have an agro-based economy. Our concentration should not be on industrialization. It should be promoting agriculture at mass level. People should not seek funds for roads, hand pumps, building squares. They should ask money for creating check dams. If thousands of check dams are made we will have water for our fields and the ground water level will also rise. There is already a drinking water and sanitation department so why do we need funds for hand pumps and wellsIJ If we have funds for making check dams we will have water for surplus produce including cash crops this will in turn change the economy of the region,” he asserts.
The 51-year-old leader also stresses on encouraging lac cultivation and promotion of minor forest produce in the area alongwith development of agro based industries and markets for strengthening the economy of the region.
Oraon accepts the constituency has only one issue in this election and that is development. “We need to work constantly as people’s representatives. We want educated leaders in the Assembly so that no one takes undue advantage of their ignorance. Education is the remedy for all ailments. We also need qualitative education in the area and for that we need to upgrade existing educational institutions. The people of the region are very talented, they need better opportunities for shaping their career,” he says.
The BJP candidate though does not consider naxalism as a major problem in the area as he says that security problem is a creation by people with evil intention. “I am people’s representative and I have to meet the people at any cost. I have never kept a bodyguard and will not keep it. I have been campaigning in the so called naxal hit areas but no one has ever stopped me or asked where I am going. It is for those leaders who ditch the people. But yes, there are small criminal groups that want to instill fear psychosis among rural masses and there are youths who doesn’t have work so they easily get influenced by crooks,” he signs off.