Jharkhand: BJP releases one-year report card of JMM-Congress government

Jharkhand Chief minister Hemant Soren. BJP said the JMM-Congress government promised to give 5 lakh of jobs but it did not see the light of the day

The Jharkhand unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has come out with an assessment report on one year of the JMM-Congress-RJD rule in the state. The report was titled ‘Ye kaisa Badlaav? Ugravadi Khushaal, Sarkaar Malamaal. Haale Jharkhand’ (What Change is this? Militants flourishing, parties in power filling their pockets).

On issues ranging from jobs, farmers to health and development work, the BJP accused the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal combine of resorting to ‘appeasement politics’.

The parties, which ran for power on a joint manifesto promising jobs and unemployment benefits, among others, wrested control of the state in December last year.

On the issue of jobs, the BJP said the ruling coalition had promised to give 5 lakh jobs, as well as unemployment allowance but neither of them have been fulfilled. “The JMM said Para teachers will be made permanent and there will be an increase in their pay scale, but the government has kept quiet on this,” the document prepared by the BJP said.

On farmers, the document said that the government announced a loan waiver, but it hasn’t yet happened on the ground. “Raghubar Das, former CM, had started a scheme of depositing funds between Rs 5000 and Rs 2500 to farmers’ accounts. This (JMM-Congress) government stopped it and the farmers are devoid of such schemes,” the document said. It alleged that many names were struck off under PM Kisan scheme and that many states are buying paddy (under the central scheme), the state isn’t, citing moisture in the food grain.

On health, it said the central government had sanctioned Rs 200 crore to the Jharkhand government, but the corpus has been lying unused. “Every day, we read newspaper reports about degrading services at all big hospitals. At the RIMS general body meeting, a proposal was made to buy a vehicle for the Minister (Health). However, no concrete steps were taken to improve the facility,” the BJP report said. It added that it is because of the government’s negligent attitude that students won’t be able to get admission to three medical colleges started by the erstwhile BJP government.

On general safety, it said in the last 11 months, multiple rape cases have been reported and the Naxal attacks have increased. “The Naxals are extorting brazenly,” the document said.

The document said that even after the Election Commission agreed that the JVM had merged with the BJP and that Babulal Marandi came to be a BJP MLA, he has not been given the post of Leader of Opposition. “The cabinet has not been expanded. Various posts are vacant,” it said.

On developmental works, the document stated that the network of roads laid down by the BJP government is not being ‘maintained’—‘forget laying of new roads’.

On tribal development, BJP said, “Current government says that it pro-tribal, but is quiet on the murder of seven tribal people ( in Chaibasa in January).”

On appeasement politics, the BJP said, “The government announced that it will take back all sedition cases (Pathalhadi). In Hindpiri area, which is a minority dominated area, security personnel were attacked, but the government did not take any action.”

The BJP said that many industries have shut down and textile companies are also closing. “Transfer posting is at its peak under this government,” it said.

BJP spokesperson, Pradeep Sinha said, “We will add to the report and come with a detailed one-year assessment of the current government on various issues affecting the state, ranging from farmers issues to law and order, among others. On December 29, the government has planned to announce their achievements, but we will counter it through our own report.”

A source in the JMM-Congress government said: “The unemployment allowances could not take off because of the pandemic and subsequent slowdown. The proposal was taken down on the vehicle being bought for the Health Minister. Regarding the three medical college admissions, the regulatory body has come up with a lot of issues —which was also there during BJP government, but was given a go ahead. On Sedition cases, although the government announced it, but the actual striking down has not yet happened.”

Vinod Pandey, JMM Spokesperson said, “First of all the people of Jharkhand rejected BJP in the bypolls held recently as the JMM, Congress won it easily. Now Babulal ji was supposed to be accepted as BJP’s leader based on the by-poll results, but the people only rejected him. The people are in support of the this government, so what report card BJP is talking about.”

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