Ranchi: JMM on Tuesday strongly objected to the former chief minister Raghubar Das’s recent remark of calling the Jharkhand government a thief and urged the BJP national leadership to take a tough stand against him. State BJP leaders have already condemned Das for his comments and asked him to refrain from making such statements.
JMM general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya said the remark, which Das presumably made at a public contact program in bypoll-bound Bermo, indicated that he has no regard for the elected government or the legislators of the ruling coalition alliance of JMM, Congress and RJD.
Accusing Das of making derogatory statements about tribal communities from time to time, Bhattacharya urged BJP national president J P Nadda to take a tough stand against him. “He is inciting hatred and division on the lines of caste and religion. This needs to be stopped. JMM also urges you to get him treated at Rinpas because he refuses to reform himself,” he added.
The footage of Das’s remark in Hindi was widely circulated on social media. In the clip, Das was heard telling a group of locals in Bermo to speak up against “injustice of the thieves”.
“Chup maat raho, aap log chup rehte ho isiliye chorta log raaj karta hai (Don’t remain silent. Just because you keep silent, thieves are ruling),” Das was heard saying in the footage while former minister Amar Kumar Bauri was seen applauding.
Bhattacharya said, “Is this the way one should speak? It was because of his foul mouth that our leader and chief minister Hemant Soren had filed a case against Raghubar ji. But since Hemant ji has a large heart, he withdrew the case after the assembly election was over,” Bhattacharya said.
On December 19, Soren lodged a written complaint against Das with the Muffassil ST/SC police station in Dumka. In his complaint, Soren alleged that Das, during his speech in an election rally in Mihijam (under Jamtara assembly constituency in Santhal Pargana) on December 18, had used cuss words relating to Soren’s name, surname and tribal lineage. The complaint, on whose basis an FIR was lodged against Das, was withdrawn on March 2.
Launching a counter-attack against Das, Bhattacharya said, “How dare he called the ruling dispensation a thief when his government was neck-deep in corruption? At present, only the Meinhardt deal is being probed. Gradually, we will probe all the wrongdoings of the previous government.”
Meanwhile, state BJP president Deepak Prakash said, “Raghubar ji is a former CM and national vice-president of the party. The statement spoils the image of our party. I will request him to not make such remarks.”
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a promotional event in the city, Prakash added, “Such statements even if made by a BJP karyakarta at the block level or by a national-level office bearer is equally unfortunate and condemnable.”