Jharkhand/Ranchi: Former Jharkhand Chief Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Raghuvar Das has fiercely targeted the state's Hemant Soren government. He accused the government of working under the pressure of middlemen and brokers along with those who follow foreign religions and demanded immediate local body elections in the state and implementation of PESA law by passing it in the cabinet.
Talking to journalists at the state BJP office in Ranchi, Raghuvar Das said that the Constitution of India gives constitutional rights to the tribal, Dalit, deprived and exploited society. But the Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) government, which invokes the Constitution, is violating the constitutional rights of the tribals and backward people of the state. He said that Jharkhand's tribal society is deprived of its rights and Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA-1996) due to the presence of a tribal Chief Minister.
Raghuvar Das said that the BJP government had taken a significant step towards implementing the PESA Act in the state. After the BJP government, the Hemant government sent the opinion received from the departments to the Law Department. Further, the Advocate General also paved the way to take it to the cabinet, but due to the unclear intention, this government is keeping it hanging.
He said that the PESA Act gives the conservative Gram Sabha of the notified area the right to manage minor minerals, sand and stone excavation, auction, fish farming in ponds, kendu leaves, etc. Jharkhand High Court has also given instructions on sand ghat auction in view of this spirit. Welcoming the decision of the High Court, he urged to continue this ban till the PESA Act is implemented in the state.
The BJP leader said that the state government has its own vested interest behind not implementing the PESA rules. The Hemant government wants that the middlemen keep looting the mineral resources, sand, stone of the state and keep filling the Chief Minister's coffers. He said that the Congress-JMM government does not want to give rights to the tribal society. This government has not even formed the Scheduled Caste, Tribe Commission.
He said that the state government has issued an advertisement by setting a target of earning revenue of 2000 crores from sand in contempt of court. In this way, in the last six years, the state has been witness to the loot of thousands of crores. He also demanded a CBI inquiry into this loot.
Speaking on the pending municipal elections in the state, Das said that the Hemant government neither wants the development of villages nor cities. By not conducting municipal elections, the government is depriving Jharkhand of central grants of 1800 crores every year, while due to non-implementation of PESA, a loss of 1400 crores is being incurred.
Raghuvar Das said that this government wants to deprive the backward classes of their rights by not completing the triple test. Earlier also, there is no reservation for backward classes in the job roster of various districts of the state. The state government is silent on this too. He said that whether it is PESA rules or municipal elections, this government does not want to let both the things happen.
Accusing the Hemant government, he said that this government is working under the pressure of middlemen and brokers along with those who follow foreign religion. This government is immersed in appeasement. He said that if the tribals, backward and Dalits of the state come out on the streets, then the state government will have to pay a heavy price. He demanded from the state government to conduct municipal elections immediately and implement the PESA law by passing it in the cabinet.
State media in-charge Shivpujan Pathak, spokesperson Ramakant Mahato were also present in the press conference.
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