On a day when the Government celebrated Foundation Day of the State with glittering shows at noon and in the evening with utmost zeal, key opposition parties, including JMM, JVM, Congress kept their activities confined around celebrating Bhagwan Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary which also falls on November 15.
Meanwhile, largest opposition party in the State at present which also claims considerable contribution in getting this part of land separated as a State 17 years ago under its supreme leader Shibu Soren, JMM took the opportunity of welcoming President of India Ram Nath Kovind in city with demands in its folded hands.
All the hoardings of JMM which appeared welcoming first citizen of India also carried various demands from the President, most of them asking his interference in protecting rights and pride of people of Jharkhand which it believed was being suppressed by the present Government. Party didn’t hesitate to call the President even ‘underprivileged’ in one of its hoardings to say that its demands were directed to one underprivileged from group of others.
JMM chief Shibu Soren and executive president and former Chief Minister Hemant Soren, however, went to meet with the President at Rajbhawan and put the party’s requests and demands before him.
Opposition leaders, including former Chief Minister and JVM chief Babulal Marandi, JPCC president Sukhdeo Bhagat and others went to Birsa Chowk in the day to offer their prayers to Bhagwan Birsa Munda and garlanded his statue there.
JVM spokesperson YP Singh said on Wednesday that the party believed that it was really a day of celebration for all as the day saw one of the long lasting demands of the people of a separate State getting fulfilled. “But the way Government is celebrating the day is not acceptable to the downtrodden, underprivileged and starving people of Jharkhand. We didn’t get a separate State for people suffering and Government celebrating,” said Singh.
JPCC spokesperson lal Kishore Nath Shahdeo also expressed similar view after party leaders went at Birsa Chowk to offer flowers to statue of Birsa Munda. He said that the party celebrated both birth anniversary of Birsa Munda and Jharkhand Foundation day. “But we believe that this government has turned publicity hungry with no direct connect with the ground reality of people’s sufferings. This is why we kept ourselves away from the government’s grand celebration,” said Shahdeo.