Jamshedpur: Former minister and senior Congress leader Banna Gupta has accused newly-elected representative Saryu Roy of winning the election through communal polarization of voters.
Addressing the media at the Congress office on Tuesday, Gupta alleged that his speech about India's composite culture (Ganga Jumuni tehzeeb) at a public meeting in Mango was deliberately edited and circulated on social media to mislead voters. "The conspiracy to polarize and divide the society helped him win the election," Gupta claimed.
The former minister expressed concerns about the fate of major infrastructure projects initiated during his 2019-24 term. "I fear Roy might create obstacles in the execution of the Rs 451-crore flyover project in Mango and the Rs 376-crore, 851-bed hospital at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, Dimna, due to political rivalry," he said.
Gupta warned that he would not remain silent if projects of public interest were hampered. While advocating for positive politics, he criticized Roy's previous term as Jamshedpur (East) representative, saying, "He spent most of his time attacking one family (Raghubar Das). Now he's roaming around my house, but he won't gain anything from it."
In response, Saryu Roy dismissed the allegations, stating, "My values and culture prevent me from attacking a defeated candidate. These statements are merely the outburst of a losing candidate. I won't make any criticizing comments."