Understandably to woo tribal voters, the State Congress on Monday inducted two fresh high profile tribal faces to join the party, son of hockey player of International repute and former parliamentarian Jaipal Singh Munda, Jayant Jaipal, while the other one is Vinod Kispotta, a former IAS officer of Manipur cadre, who took voluntary retirement a year ago and had been looking for a greener pasture in the State for the last one year.
Congress president Sukhdeo Bhagat asserted that the duo joined the party, not in the greed for tickets to fight parliamentary elections. “They have full confidence in the party’s policies,” he added. The two new entrants however, cleared their objective of working on the directive of the party and will not mind to contest elections if asked to do so by the party. “I will abide by the directions given by the party as my objective is to do social service in the State,” said Jayant. “I have no reservations if asked by the party to contest elections in the forthcoming parliamentary elections,” he added.
When questioned about the logic of joining the party just before elections if he does not want to contest elections, Jayant said he wanted to do social service in Khunti district as there are lot to be done in the area. He said he was joining the party as his family was well connected with the Congress since the days of his father. Jayant, having a bachelor degree in Engineering Science and Management from Durham University in UK, till now had been working with a corporate group in the country.
His father Jaipal Singh, also known as Marang Gomke, was a member of the Constituent Assembly in 1946. He was elected President of the All India Adivasi Mahasabha in 1939. In 1950 he formed the Jharkhand Party. In 1952 he became an MP from the Khunti Parliamentary Constituency (ST) till his demise in 1970. Jharkhand Party merged with INC in 1963. Munda’s mother late Jahanara Jaipal Singh, was also Deputy Minister when Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister.
Kispotta, on the other hand, said that the policies of the Congress attracted him to join the party. “After getting inspired by the policies of Congress which respect the sentiments of people from all sections and regions, and has no comparison on the issue of secularism, I joined the party and will abide by the directions given to me as I too want to take part in building the nation,” said Kispotta. Congress is the future of the country and is taking it forward on the path of development, he added.
Meanwhile, on the issue of alliance with Rashtriya Janata Dal in the forthcoming elections in the State, Bhagat said that RJD is a secular force, and this election will be a battle between secularism and fanaticism. “We do not want that the efforts made by us to strengthen the secular forces get wasted,” said Bhagat.