living a life like a nowhere man for last few days and desperately looking for a ‘home’, knocking at the door of the JMM and JVM, after quitting the BJP in disgust, Dulal Bhuiyan seems to have found the one for him, finally. The haggard three-time MlA from Jugsalai on Thursday shook hands with the Congress and all set to file his nominations from the seat on November 11.
In a hurriedly called press conference Bhuiyan was inducted into the party fold in the presence of AICC secretary Tara Chand Bhagora and senior Congress leaders Subodh Kant Sahay and Furkan Ansari. When grilled by the reporters, the seasoned politician who had won elections three times in a row before losing in 2009 and having served in the Madhu Koda Cabinet was searching for words.
“I joined the Congress due to its secular credentials,” he fumbled while replying to the question how he discovered the BJP a secular party and would he still have quit the party and the JMM had he managed tickets over there. He had no answer to what can be termed as sheer opportunism when he quit JVM after fathoming the party’s sinking fortune for rising star the BJP. Bhuiyan also left the saffron party after having denied ticket over there and then recalled his ‘old home’ JMM. Within 24 hours he left the JMM as well and landed in the ‘new home’ Congress.
Though, the speechless leader has plenty against Chief Minister Hemant Soren. “I went to the CM which was another mistake of mine. He welcomed me into the party but all of a sudden dishonoured an old revolutionary within six hours. WhyIJ Because I am a dalit,” asked Bhuiyan.
The Congress, which is in search of serious leaders to contest on over 60 seats it has to fight in Jharkhand this time, responded promptly. After naming its candidate for Jugsalai on Wednesday in the form of Ramakant Kurua the party put that on hold and waited for him to come along. “Dulal Bhuiyan has been a fighter and perhaps no other dalit leader is near to him in Jharkhand. We welcome him into the party and would request our leadership to allot him the party ticket,” said Subodh Kant Sahay.
Sahay added that the party would go in the lines of coalition like Bihar and blamed JMM’s stiffness on seat sharing for the disintegration happened in Jharkhand. He though refrained from withdrawing support from the Hemant Soren Government. “We will not allow the BJP to run affairs in Jharkhand by proxy,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the Congress has announced sharing two seats out of 18 in the Santhal Pargana region with the RJD. It is understood to have given 10 seats to RJD and five to JD-U in the State.