Baghmara MLA Dhullu Mahto, who is in the eye of a storm with regard to the charges of land abrogation against him by his neighbor Ashok Mahto and his wife Kunti Devi, today accused his political adversaries led by his arch-rival and Congress state working president Jaleshwar Mahto for orchestrating the controversy.
"Jaleshwar Mahto and many other political leaders of the ruling dispensation are behind the conspiracy to tarnish my image and they have misled Ashok Mahto into carrying out the agitation against me," said the MLA.
"I am god fearing person and a believer of truth, I will not do any injustice to any person of the financially backward section of the society," further said Mahto.
He also made an open challenge to his neighbor Ashok Mahto to present legal documents with regard to the land which as per his claim belongs to him.
"I am ready for verification of the land documents by any of the officers, be it the Circle Officer (CO), Block Development Officer ( BDO) or even by Deputy Commissioner," he said and claimed all the other extended family members of Ashok Mahto including his Aunt have their shops near the Ram Raj Temple at Chitahi Dham and they have never complained about any land issue as claimed by Ashok Mahto and his wife and children.
"I would demand a probe into the charges being made by Ashok Mahto and revelation of the truth before everyone," said Mahto
Notably, Ashok Mahto is a road site eatery owner of Chitahi village of Baghmara and also a neighbor of the Baghmara MLA. He sat on an indefinite fast on May 4 at Randhir Verma Chowk near the Dhanbad district headquarters along with his wife Kunti Devi; Son, Sumit Kumar and Daughter Nitu Kumari in protest against the alleged abrogation of his ancestral land by Baghmara MLA.
He also charged the Baghmara MLA with inflicting atrocities against them and pressuring them to vacate the land on which their shop is situated due to which their livelihood has been affected.
Kunti Devi, wife of Ashok Mahto had also charged that the Baghmara MLA along with his other family members of attacking her on February 22 when she objected to the parking of a water tanker of MLA in front of her shop.
Ashok Mahto also sat on a fast earlier on April 18, along with his wife and children but they broke the fast on the assurance of a fair probe into the charges leveled by them against the MLA.
Earlier on March 3 more than 150 local residents of Baghmara had also carried out a half nude demonstration against Dhullu Mahto at Dhanbad district headquarters in support of Ashok Mahto accusing Dhullu Mahto of usurping their ancestral land in name of the construction of a Ram Raj temple in Baghmara.