BOKARO: BJP national vice-president and former chief minister Raghubar Das on Sunday said the results of the November 3 bypolls in Dumka and in Bermo will decide the JMM-Congress-RJD government’s fate.
Speaking at an election campaign here for party candidate Yogheshwar Mahto (for Bermo), Das said, “I am 200% sure that BJP is going to win both the seats and these seats will decide the government’s fate.” Asked if the party is working out plans for a coup against the ruling dispensation, he said, “It is the residents who are looking for a change as they can see that development has taken a backseat in Jharkhand ever since the Hemant Soren-led government took charge in January.”
He added that although they failed to get the required votes in last year’s assembly polls, their vote percentage has improved now.
Das termed Hemant as an “incapable CM” who does not have any vision or the right mentality to work for the development of Jharkhand. Taking a dig at Hemant ‘for his mismanagement of the Covid crisis’, Das said, “One of JMM’s leaders and minister (Haji Hussain Ansari) succumbed to the virus due to his faulty management and now another minister (Jagarnath Mahto) is battling for his life. When Hemant failed to save his own minister, can he save the residents.”
Asked about the CM’s accusation of inheriting a poor state treasury due to the previous BJP-led government’s faulty fiscal management, he said, “I want to ask Hemant Soren that when he left the CM’s chair in 2014, was the state exchequer full of cash. He should tell the residents what was the condition of the state treasury back then.”
Reacting to the government accusing the Centre of implementing a vindictive fiscal penalty after the latter invoked TPA for auto-debit of funds from Jharkhand’s account with RBI to clear Damodar Valley Corporation’s outstanding dues, he said, “During my tenure, we had paid around Rs 13,000 crore to DVC to clear its outstanding dues. We ran a transparent government.”