The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Wednesday slammed Chief Minister Raghubar Das for passing personal remarks on JMM Supremo Shibu Soren and accused him of demeaning the indigenous people of Jharkhand by insulting a veteran tribal leader who fought for the formation of the state.
Addressing the media in Ranchi, former Rajya Sabha MP Sanjiv Kumar said that Das’ remark on Soren’s age was unsolicited, unwarranted and uncalled-for.
“The Chief Minister has been commenting on Guruji’s age at election rallies. Such remarks are not expected from a person sitting on the chair of a chief minister. By passing such scornful remarks on Guruji, he has disrespected all the indigenous people of Jharkhand who have fought for Jal, Jungle, Jameen (water, forest, land),” said Kumar.
Addressing an election rally in Santhal Pargana earlier this week, Das reportedly called Soren too old and physically unfit for serving the duties of an MP.
“A man who cannot walk or talk properly is contesting elections. How will he raise local issues in the parliament?” Das said. On Sunday, Das went on to directly comment on Soren’s age, opining that a man at his age should ideally give his blessings to younger generation and not contest elections.
Das, however, had also praised Soren during his rallies in Santhal Pargana during electioneering and lauded his
contribution in Jharkhand’s history.
“A man whose opinion keeps changing everyday cannot be trusted. In legal terms, such behavior by a man may indicate a loss of cognitive faculties,” said Kumar.
Former JMM legislator Amit Mahto said that a man with unstable cognitive faculties is not fit to serve the post of a Chief Minister.
Later in the day, JMM General Secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for addressing a rally in Godda, where the BJP has retained incumbency for 10 years, and refusing to accept the JMM’s challenge of holding a rally in Dumka.
“He (Modi) did not have the courage to address a rally in Dumka or Rajmahal. His speech today mimics that of a defeated warrior,” said Bhattacharya.
The JMM sought an apology from Modi for his government’s alleged ‘anti-tribal’ and ‘anti-people’ policies.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is gearing up for a faceoff with JMM in the latter’s bastion, Santhal Pargana in the fourth and final phase of elections in Jharkhand. The election in Dumka, Rajmahal and Godda on May 19 is likely to be a litmus test for the BJP. Despite the overwhelming Modi wave of 2014, which swept the entire country, the BJP lost to the JMM in two of three constituencies in Santhal Pargana. The BJP won 12 of 14 Lok Sabha seats here, the highest ever by one political party, but could not defeat JMM Supremo Shibu Soren in Dumka and Vijay Hansda in Rajmahal despite fielding a JMM turncoat Hemlal Murmu against Hansda.
In the five years of the NDA-led Raghubar Das government in Jharkhand, the chief minister has frequented Santhal Pargana to develop a strong support base for his party. The BJP claims that no other CM in Jharkhand has paid as many visits to the region as Das did during his tenure.