Ruling JMM in Jharkhand has asked the Jain community protesting over the declaration of Sammed Shikharji in Parasnath Hills in the state as a tourist place against falling into the BJP’s trap.

JMM central general secretary and party spokesperson, Supriyo Bhattacharya, on Tuesday showed to the media in Ranchi a letter issued by the sports, youth affairs and tourism department in February 2019 under the Raghubar Das-led BJP government declaring the Parasnath Hills as a tourist spot in the form of a gazette.

The BJP-led Union government’s forest ministry, on August 2, 2019, declared the site as an eco-sensitive zone based on the state’s recommendation.

“We would like to request the Jain community members to identify the real culprits, the BJP, behind declaring the sacred place as a tourist spot way back in 2019. Instead, we are seeing a narrative being presented in the media, that there are rallies and protests across the country against the Hemant Soren government for trying to belittle the sacred place of the Jain community. We would request the community members against fallinginto the trap of the BJP government,” said Bhattacharya.

The JMM senior leader also pointed out that recently there was an attempt to vandalise Jain religious place in Bhavnagar in Gujarat which is also ruled by the BJP, but there was no media coverage or protest by the members.

“There were protests by the Jain community members in Surat (Gujarat), Mumbai and even Delhi in the New Year. We would demand the Union home minister (Amit Shah)and the Prime Minister issue a statement on the protest. We would also demand the state BJP leaders to come out with an explanation or issue an unconditional apology to the Jain community members for declaring the sacred place as a tourist place.”