The State BJP unit has accused the State Government of having double standards while implementing Corona protocols. State BJP legislative party leader and former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi raised concern over the grand welcome procession of State Congress’ newly appointed president Rajesh Thakur, highlighting violation of Covid guidelines during the event.
On August 28, Congress’s new state president Rajesh Thakur reached Ranchi from Delhi with his new team. Congress supporters reached Ranchi’s Birsa Munda International Airport in large numbers and no Covid guidelines were followed, as claimed by a BJP leader.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday appointed Rajesh Thakur president of the party’s faction-ridden Jharkhand unit, besides appointing four new working presidents.
The party also appointed Member of Parliament (MP) Geeta Koda, legislator Bandhu Tirkey, Jaleshwar Mahto and Shahzada Anwar as working presidents of the state unit.
Marandi said the threat of Corona still remains. The Central Government has asked States to follow Covid guidelines strictly till 30 September. The State Government is also engaged in getting the corona guidelines to be followed from its level, but during the welcome of the new State president of Congress, the reality was different. All the arrangements collapsed in the welcome of the new president as there was no fear of corona infection in the event.
Meanwhile, thousands of Congress supporters had gathered at Birsa Munda airport since morning to welcome Rajesh Thakur and his new team. Large number of people were also present at the State Congress headquarter at Shadhanand Road. The city’s traffic system also collapsed for more than two hours due to a large number of Congress workers on the road. Travelers had to face problems at the Airport in entering and making exit from the Airport due to the Congress workers crowd. Health workers could not conduct a corona test of passengers coming from outside.
The BJP leader said the State Government follows the corona protocol only after seeing the party leader. A few days back the state BJP unit organized a dharna on farmers’ issues across the state at panchayat-level.
However, the Jharkhand Police slapped an FIR against state BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP Deepak Prakash, Kanke MLA Samri Lal and over 70 unnamed others under the Epidemic Act for staging a protest in violation of the lockdown rules.
This was perhaps the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic in March last year when members of political parties were booked under the Epidemic Act.
Marandi termed the move as political vendetta by the Hemant Soren government and said that going by the same yardstick, Congress leaders should also be charged under the same provisions for violating the lockdown rules.