Ranchi, Aug 25: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday demanded the resignation of his Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren for “failing” to fulfil promises made to people during the 2019 assembly elections.
The Jharkhand government has “failed on all fronts”, including checking infiltration, alleged Sarma who is the election co-incharge of the BJP in the state.
“Your (Hemant Soren’s) father Shibu Soren is an acclaimed national-level leader unlike mine. If the son of Shibu Soren is not able to fulfil his promises, who would? … Time has come for you to resign and quit politics for failing to fulfil promises made to youths during elections,” he said.
Soren has only one month, September, to resign, the BJP leader said claiming that the assembly elections will be held in November.
In 2019, the assembly elections were held in five phases between November 30 and December 20. After a JMM-led coalition came to power, Hemant Soren became the chief minister.
Sarma also criticised the JMM-led coalition, also comprising the Congress and RJD, for filing FIRs against around 12,000 unidentified people, besides 51 BJP leaders under “non-bailable sections” during a recent BJYM rally in Ranchi.
Police also used tear gas shells and water cannons, and fired rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.
“This atrocity is unheard of in independent India… I have dealt with the ULFA, but not seen something like this… I will write to the Election Commission to remove the DGP from the post, as polls cannot be held in the state under such an officer,” he said.
An FIR was lodged against 12,000 youths to blackmail party workers, Sarma claimed.
“Our people are ready to go to jail for the youth of Jharkhand but what was surprising to note that 12,000 unnamed people have been named in the FIR. I challenge the DGP to give us the names of the 12,000 people, or else we will move the court of law… It is a democracy and we have the right to protest,” he said.
The British did not register such an FIR in the Jallianwala Bagh incident, he said, claiming that the FIR will not stand a day in the Supreme Court.
“An IPS officer should never become a worker of the BJP or JMM. I will write all these things to the Election Commission,” Sarma said and added that the saffron party will demand a judicial probe into the incident.
Attacking the JMM-led coalition in the state, he alleged that no promises made were fulfilled whether incentives to women, jobs to youths or benefits to people and charged it of “committing dacoity on the people of Jharkhand”.
He alleged that the mafia was calling the shots in the state where infiltration from Bangladesh had become rampant and a Ranchi doctor was arrested for being involved with the Al Qaeda network.
“Even the high court rapped the state government on illegal immigration from Bangladesh,” he added.
BJP workers on Saturday staged demonstrations at all districts against the police action on Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha workers during the rally on Friday.
A scuffle broke out between the police and BJP youth wing workers who broke barricades during the protest rally here against the “injustice” meted out by the Hemant Soren government and its “failure to fulfil election promises” on Friday.
The police had used tear gas shells and water cannons and fired rubber bullets to disperse the BJYM workers. (PTI)
