Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren has accused the BJP-led Centre of hindering the state government from giving financial assistance to locals in the run-up to the Assembly polls.
Hemant had last week claimed that the Assembly elections would be a fight between "amir" (rich) and "garib" (poor). He had also referred to the BJP as a "gang of capitalists” who used money power to break parties and families, hinting at defection of former chief minister Champai Soren and eldest sister-in-law Sita Soren to the saffron party.
On Monday, Hemant alleged that the Centre was not willing to let the state government pass on financial assistance to the masses.
“When our government brought a financial assistance scheme for women between 18-50 years of age they (the BJP) claimed that the government was giving sops to win elections. They are dishonest people and have a problem when we want to give rights to people of our state,” Hemant said while addressing a government function in Khunti.
“Today only I have again written to the central government demanding our outstanding dues of ₹1.36 lakh crore and if they are not able to clear our outstanding dues then at least give the interest of the outstanding dues so that we can double the financial assistance for our mother and sisters in the state from ₹1,000 to ₹2,000,” he said.
Hemant has been accusing the Centre of not clearing outstanding coal royalty dues of ₹1.36 lakh crore for coal mining done in Jharkhand and also ignoring the state’s demand for allocating rural homeless with Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana facilities, forcing Jharkhand government to arrange funds for three-room pucca houses for the homeless in the state under the Abua Awas Yojana.
“Whenever the state government plans to give rights to people they put obstacles by approaching court. When we make policies for local’s recruitment they go to court. They have gone to court against the women's assistance scheme. Surprisingly, the same policies are implemented in the BJP-ruled state without any hindrances,” he said.
