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Ex-Jharkhand minister Dulal Bhuiyan quits JMM to join BJP
State BJP president and MP Aditya Sahu, along with former chief minister and Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi, welcomed Bhuiyan by presenting him with a traditional turban and garland.
Veteran Dalit leader and former state minister Dulal Bhuiyan officially broke ties with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Sunday to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during a ceremony at the party headquarters in Ranchi.
State BJP president and MP Aditya Sahu, along with former chief minister and Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi, welcomed Bhuiyan by presenting him with a traditional turban and garland.
Along with Bhuiyan, the state and central leadership of the Bhuiyan community, including Dilip Bhuiyan and Nunu Lal Bhuiyan, took BJP membership. Hundreds of supporters from various districts also joined the saffron party’s rank and file.
“The BJP is not a party of family but of ideology. Its pledge is Antyodaya (the upliftment of the oppressed, deprived, and backward communities), and its goal is to bring a smile to the faces of Dalits, the exploited, and the deprived,” party state president Sahu said.
In a symbolic address, Leader of Opposition Marandi welcomed the Bhuiyan community as “descendants of Shabari Mata”.
He drew a parallel between Lord Ram’s respect for Shabari and the BJP’s commitment to the Dalit community, asserting that only the BJP can provide justice for “water, forest, and land”.
“Under the leadership of Dulal Bhuiyan, the Bhuiyan community, descendants of Shabari Mata, have come to join the BJP, a party of Ram devotees who follow the ideals of Ram. It was Lord Ram who enhanced the respect for Shabari Mata. He ate her leftover berries. The relationship between Shabari and Ram is age-old,” Marandi said.
Marandi also launched a scathing attack on the Hemant Soren government, comparing its tenure to the “jungle raj of Bihar”.
“JMM has never done justice to the state, neither during the movement nor in power. The Hemant government has reminded us of the jungle raj of Bihar,” he said.
Dulal Bhuiyan took an oath in the packed hall, declaring that he would never leave the BJP for the rest of his life, calling it the unanimous decision of his community.
“The Bhuiyan community is indebted to the BJP. It is the BJP that has given justice and respect to the Dalit community. By honouring Dishoom Guru, the late Shibu Soren, with the Padma Award, the Modi government has fulfilled its commitment to Dalit, tribal, and backward communities. I will never leave the BJP for the rest of my life. This is the unanimous decision of the Bhuiyan community,” he said.
Reacting to Bhuiyan’s joining, JMM spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said, “Vinash Kale Viprit Buddh (when doom approaches, the intellect works against you).”
