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JMM MLA's big statement on Hemant Soren ahead of floor test
Hembrom, who represents the Borio seat in Sahibganj district, said Soren ignored his advice and eventually landed up in jail.
Amid the floor test to be held in Jharkhand on Monday, the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has claimed the support of 47 MLAs. The party is trying to safeguard its MLAs fearing alleged poaching attempts by the BJP. Amid this one of its MLAs Lobin Hembrom has come out strongly against the former CM of Jharkhand Hemant Soren.
Hembrom said Soren ignored his advice and eventually landed up in jail, NDTV reported on Sunday. Hembrom, who represents the Borio seat in Sahibganj district, said that the JMM manifesto ahead of the 2019 state polls promised to implement the Chota Nagpur Tenancy Act and Santhal Parganas Tenancy Act. However, none of these were implemented following the party coming to power. The JMM MLA said the central law, Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, was not implemented in the state, the NDTV report said.
While the first two laws, the Chota Nagpur Tenancy Act and the Santhal Parganas Tenancy Act, aim to protect the land rights of tribals, the PESA Act aims to empower the gram sabha to protect tribals from exploitation. "The gram sabha has no power now. If the PESA Act was implemented, it would be more powerful. When none of these shields (for tribals) was implemented, we were forced to form this forum, Jharkhand Bachao Morcha," Lobin Hembrom said.
"There have been a lot of irregularities. IAS officers are involved. Nobody can touch that land. This means that CNT Act is not in force. Now people are going to jail. Eventually, our former Chief Minister was also sent to jail," he added.
Hembrom is likely to quit the party because of the present state of affairs, a report by Times of India said. “Ab party se mohbhang hogaya hai (I am disillusioned with the party now). I have great respect for guruji and we worked alongside for the tribals' rights for a long time. But today outsiders are calling the shots within the party. Hence I have decided to leave the party…” he was quoted by TOI as saying.
However, the leader has not tendered a resignation yet.
On Hembrom, general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya said on Saturday, "Even those who had not signed the support letter have clarified their stand. Our MLA, Sita Soren, attended the swearing-in, while Lobin Hembrom has also announced his support today.”
(With agencies' inputs)
