'Hemant reluctant to start ST commission'

RANCHI: Former chief ministers Babulal Marandi and Raghubar Das on Sunday attempted to swing the tribal sentiment of Jharkhand in favour of the BJP by criticising chief minister Hemant Soren and his family members. Marandi attacked Soren on corruption charges while Das criticised Soren for his failure to make the state ST commission operational.
They were addressing an audience of 5,000 people during the 'Dharti Aba Birsa Munda Vishwas Rally' at Morhabadi Ground.
Das said, "Our government passed the Anti-Conversion Bill to safeguard the tribal religion and their culture but this government has failed to uphold it. Religious conversion is being done across the state and one such incident came to light from Khunti's Torpa block recently."
Das said though the Soren government projects itself as the champion of tribal cause, it has been reluctant to implement the Panchayat Extension of Schedule Act (PESA) passed by the Centre. "Our government took up the development of several prominent tribal places of worship besides converting the Ranchi jail into Birsa Munda museum," he added.
Meanwhile, Marandi said, "The Soren family is only concerned about its own development. The chief minister obtained mining leases for himself, his press advisor, his MLA representative and his brother. Shibu Soren and his family members have looted acres of tribal land. And now, when the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is investigating, Hemant is feeling the sting of it."
Former chief minister Arjun Munda, who is the Union tribal affairs minister of the state, however, limited his address to praising PM Modi's efforts to develop the tribal society.