The City police arrested Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) principal general secretary and leader of the party in State Assembly, Pradeep Yadav, who has been spearheading an agitation against ‘wrongful’ land acquisition for Adani power plant at Poraiyahat in Godda district at around 4 o’clock on Saturday morning.
He has been charged with provoking stone pelting on police personnel on April 7 in Poraiyahat and preventing Government officials from dispensing their duties during environmental public hearing which was organised by the State Government to pave way for land acquisition for proposed Adani power plant in locality.
The Godda administration has filed at least five cases so far against Yadav and his supporters in connection with protests against Adani power plant.
Yadav, who has been on peaceful indefinite fast along with dozens of JVM workers and so-called locals since April 16, was also facing charges of provoking locals against Government right after he sat on fast. Yadav, very much on the party line, was on fast demanding immediate suspension of land acquisition processes for Adani power plant, judicial enquiry into alleged violation of land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 in the process since its inception and for protection of rights of locals in the area.
Enraged over arrest of Yadav, JVM supporters took to the roads across the State, including Jamshedpur to Ranchi and burnt effigy of Chief Minister Raghubar Das and raised voices against the Government.
Organising a protest, JVM central secretary Rajiv Ranjan Mishra said the people were not there to be frightened with the Government’s suppressive moves like such arrests and were ready to go any mile to protect interests of locals in the State.
“The Government has been working like an agent of Adani and wants to snatch small farmers’ land which will not be tolerated in any case,” said Mishra where JVM Ranchi (Rural) president Prabhudayal Baraik, Ranchi (City) president Sunil Gupta, Uttam Yadav and other party workers were present.
Notably, JVM supremo and ex-CM Babulal Marandi had also sat on a day-long fast in front of Rajbhawan on Friday to protest against alleged forcible land acquisition process for proposed 1,600 MW capacity power plant of Adani Power. He claimed on the day that the party was ready to face any suppressive move from Government until it ensured protection of local interests.
Meanwhile, another main opposition party in the State, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), has sharpened attack on the CM for latter calling JMM ‘irrelevant’ and its Central president and MP Shibu Soren a ‘burden’ in family. After BJP on Friday refusing JMM’s demand of unconditional apology by the CM over his remarks on famously known as Guruji, JMM general secretary and spokesperson Vinod Pandey said on Saturday the CM would be forced to seek apology from Guruji.
“We will not let such insult to Guruji go so easily, who is an icon for lakhs of Jharkhandis. The CM has insulted someone whom he claimed to be his fatherly figure since decades, and has insulted lakhs of his well-wishers. If he doesn’t offer unconditional apology to Guruji, we will not let Assembly function on April 27,” said Pandey. He also asked the BJP to let citizens of India know about well-being of ex-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.