Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee (JPCC) has decided to walk into State legislative Assembly during the upcoming winter session with a gherao on CNT/SPT Acts amendment issue and police firings at Barkagaon, Gola and Soiko. State Congress President Sukhdev Bhagat on Wednesday said that the BJP ruled Government was only confusing tribals of the State by unnecessarily mixing the amendment of act-duo with so-called development.
“We will organise a gherao of Assembly, most probably at opening day of the session. Neither the Acts are new, nor is the development. Raghubar Das led BJP Government can’t prove that CNT/SPT Acts are hurdles for development of the State. The State has seen development in the courtyard of these acts only. As they can’t finance and nurture existing infrastructure, so they are making it an issue of development,” said Bhagat after meeting of State Congress Committee members.
Though the meeting was called today to inject a morale-booster dose to Congress workers at district and village levels and to unite them, it failed to get a fraction of its own dissatisfied members under the leadership of Barhi MlA Manoj Kumar Yadav on board. Yadav convened over a parallel meeting of those workers and leaders at his residence, who have been critical to their own President Bhagat, demanding his removal.
Bhagat said that the district presidents were directed during the meeting to come up with booth committee, block committee and district committees from their respective districts, so that the short term and long term course of action could be decided at the earliest. Party is also going to organise birth centenary of ex-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, which will kick off from her birthday on November 19 and end on same date next year. “There is a long list of programmes to be organised during the year including seminar, essay writing, games, sports, competitions in school-colleges and many others,” said Bhagat.
Though Bhagat admitted that those unhappy with him were hitting only the interests of party, he said that not raising their voices only weakened them. “It is right that whatever is happening is not good for the party. But I don’t pay attention to those singing their song in melancholy, and I am sure neither the party high command does,” said Bhagat.
The party also planned to organise Rajiv Gandhi Panchayati Raj Awareness Programme on November 11-13 in rest 11 districts of the state. Party General Secretary Suryakant Shukla said that the programme was already successfully organised in 13 districts.
However, the detention of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on his way to meet ex-Army officials in hospital in Delhi saw party leaders dropping their differences, as Bhagat and Yadav both took part in offering their arrests at Kotwali Police Station in city. Bhagat named this detention a military raj, whereas Yadav didn’t hesitate to call it the assassination of the democracy. Senior Congress leader and ex-Union Minister Subodhkant Sahay also joined in offering arrest. The party has decided to organise a district level effigy-burning programme in all the districts of the state on Thursday.