Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s (JMM) Executive President Hemant Soren on Thursday demanded due respect for martyrs of Jharkhand Movement while accusing the incumbent Government of apathy towards bravehearts, who contributed towards the formation of the State.
Addressing the 32nd martyrdom day of Nirmal Mahto, a JMM leader who played a pivotal role in the Jharkhand Movement, which led to the bifurcation of Jharkhand from erstwhile Bihar, Soren slammed the Government for allegedly giving tokens of appreciation to the martyrs for political benefits.
“The Government has failed to give the respect that martyrs deserve. They should give the due respect to our martyrs and stop using their names for political benefits,” Soren said.
Apart from being a JMM stalwart, Mahto also founded the All Jharkhand Students’ Union (AJSU) for strengthening the crusade for a separate State by incorporating the power of youth in the movement. On August 8, 1987, Mahto was killed at a young age of 36 in Jamshedpur.
Jharkhand has produced many freedom fighters since the pre-independence era, and the Government should pay due respect to them, he added.
Soren said that the condition of the tribal community, especially the Particularly Vulnerable Tribe Groups, was turning bad to worse in Jharkhand. “Addressing the problems of the tribal community is the need of the hour here. The Government should act responsibly towards the indigenous people of our State,” he added.
Referring to the recent cases of suicides in Jharkhand, Soren said that unemployment and lack of opportunities has forced youngsters here to commit suicide. “It is disheartening to see that the sorry state of affairs in the State has forced some of the youths here to even seek euthanasia,” said Soren.
Jharkhand is set to go to polls by the end of this year and political parties have started taking jibes at each other on road to the election season. Despite going to polls as a part of the grand alliance here, JMM managed to win only one of the 14 Lok Sabha seats here in the recently concluded General Elections. The party, however, is preparing to turn the tables in the Assembly polls.