E-Paper
People have received only deception in Jharkhand, alleges BJP
The BJP released a charge sheet against Jharkhand's Hemant Soren government, claiming failure on promises and alleging scams, while JMM dismissed the accusations.
On the completion of one year of the second term of the Hemant Soren–led INDIA bloc government in Jharkhand, the state’s main opposition party, the BJP, on Saturday released a charge sheet titled Aarop Patra.
According to the document—released by state BJP president and Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi in the presence of party executive president and Rajya Sabha MP Aditya Sahu, state organisation general secretary Karmveer Singh, and chief whip Naveen Jaiswal—the Hemant Soren government “has not moved a single step forward” on its seven guarantees, and people in the state “have received nothing but deception.”
The charge sheet, prepared by a committee comprising state vice president and former minister Bhanu Pratap Shahi, former Leader of Opposition Amar Kumar Bauri, and former MP and spokesperson Geeta Koda, alleges a series of scams during the past year and states that it is “wrong to call this an Abua Sarkar (our own government), as the tribal community has suffered the most under this regime.”
“The six years of the Hemant government have been years of ruin for Jharkhand. The state government has not taken even a single step forward on the seven guarantees promised by the INDIA bloc during the Assembly elections, but has instead set the state back,” Marandi said.
Discussing the guarantees in detail, Marandi accused the government of dishonesty towards voters. “This is not an Abua government but a government of cheats that has defrauded youth, women, farmers, tribals, backward classes, Dalits, the elderly, the disabled, and schoolchildren. The title of the charge sheet is accurate. The police here have become plunderers rather than protectors of the public,” he said.
Marandi called the first guarantee—implementing a 1932 Khatian-based policy—“a major fraud.” “For six years, the government has been deceiving people in the name of implementing the 1932 Khatian policy. The state’s language and culture are not being preserved. In the 21st century, this government is promoting superstition through so-called healing meetings, even though witch-hunting and exorcism are banned,” he said.
On the second guarantee, Maiya Samman, Marandi alleged that “millions of women are being deceived.” “Votes were taken and then women’s names were deleted from the rolls. Women in rural areas are running from pillar to post complaining that the portal doesn’t open. Instead of giving benefits to them, the honorarium is being deposited into the accounts of Rohingya and Bangladeshi infiltrators,” he alleged.
Regarding the third guarantee of social justice, he said it has been “a complete failure.” “Panchayat elections were held without OBC reservation. Nothing has moved in urban local bodies. SC and ST reservations were also undermined,” he said.
The fourth guarantee—food security—also remained unfulfilled, Marandi claimed. “Not only were people denied 7 kg of grain, even the 5 kg entitlement was looted. A major scam was exposed in the Chief Minister’s own constituency during an investigation. The government later compensated it with disaster management grain. The minister concerned even denied the promise of providing LPG cylinders for ₹450,” he said.
On the fifth guarantee related to employment and health security, Marandi said the promise of 10 lakh jobs and health insurance worth ₹15 lakh was “completely false.” “Only 8,791 people got jobs, while over 30,000 employees retired in the last six years. Not even half the sanctioned posts are filled. Instead, this government abolished over 2 lakh posts,” he said.
The seventh guarantee—minimum support price of ₹3,200 per quintal for paddy—was also unfulfilled, Marandi said. “The government set the MSP at ₹2,400, including a bonus of ₹100. Even at this rate, not even half the target procurement was achieved. Payments for procured paddy in several districts remain pending,” he alleged.
Marandi also accused the government of perpetrating a series of scams, naming the alleged liquor scam, JSSC CGL paper leak, DMFT fund misuse, irregularities in manpower supply, corruption in home department procurement, and sports kit purchases.
He further claimed that the tribal community is unsafe under the government. “The tribal community is in the worst condition under this so-called Abua government. The highest number of rapes in the state have been against tribal women. Tribals are being harassed from Dumka to Chaibasa. The state’s demography is being altered by Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltrators, and the government is protecting them,” he alleged.
Marandi also accused the state government of disrespecting constitutional institutions. “For the first time, members of the ruling party entered a bail application in the Legislative Assembly, protesting against the SIR. Ministers are now threatening to arrest and hold BLOs hostage,” he said.
Responding to the BJP’s charge sheet, JMM state spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya dismissed it, saying the BJP had “nothing left to do.”
“They will have to repeat this exercise next year also—probably till 2050. The people will continue giving their blessings to us. The milestone we set on November 28 at Morabadi is enough to show our performance. The BJP has a charge sheet, and we have people’s support,” Bhattacharya said, without addressing the allegations.
