Raj Sinha, the BJP MLA from Dhanbad, on Thursday slammed the Hemant Soren-led state government over the “deteriorating” law-and-order situation in the state.

He accused the government of meting out step-motherly treatment to Dhanbad by planning to establish sub-capitals in Giridih, Chaibasa and Medininagar areas.

“The recent turn of events, including the attack on Dhanbad orthopaedic surgeon Kailash Prasad on Wednesday night, the extortion calls received by half-a-dozen traders of Dhanbad about 10 days ago, expose the deteriorating law-and-order condition after the change of guard in the state,” said Sinha during a news meet in presence of district BJP president Chandrashekhar Singh.

“We will staging a daylong dharna at Randhir Verma Chowk on Friday to protest against the deteriorating law-and-order situation in the district,” said Sinha, accusing that when the police lodged cases against those who took out a rally against CAA, NRC and NPR in violation of rules on January 7, the state government intervened to lift the charges against them.

“Such kind of initiatives from the government are demoralising for the police,” said Sinha.

He also slammed district Congress leaders, including district president Brajendra Prasad Singh, for accusing the BJP of not being able to get an airport in Dhanbad whereas a facility would come up in Bokaro, a halt in Dhanbad for Duronto Express that had stopped in 2017 and now runs on the Jasidih route, and other facilities for the district.

“The airport establishment was never notified in Dhanbad, so there is no question of snatching away the airport and similarly the charges of snatching away Duranto Express halt during the BJP reign in the state is also an attempt to spread false information as Duronto Express is still running through the state on a different route,” said Sinha.

Brajendra on Wednesday accused the previous BJP government of the state of depriving the state of another airport in Dhanbad and a Duronto Express halt in coal town.

“The government’s plan to establish sub-capitals in Chaibasa, Medininagar and Giridih is step-motherly treatment towards an important district such as Dhanbad, which is one of the most-appropriate districts to be declared a sub-capital of the state,” Sinha said.