Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren Monday hit out at the opposition BJP for "forming a PIL gang" against the UPA government in the state and blamed it for allegedly looting it since the state came into being.
Soren, who was addressing a public meeting here after the Supreme Court allowed his appeal in the mining lease case, said that BJP is "hell bent" on destabilising the democratically elected government in the state and conspired and misused central agencies like the ED and Income Tax department against him and his government.
The BJP, he alleged, had "ruled and looted the state for 20 years and did nothing for the rural masses, poor, the farmers, youths and the old".
The saffron party reacted saying the Soren government has become synonymous with "back tracking from the promises it made".
Soren said the BJP had "ruled and looted the state for 20 years and did nothing for the rural masses, poor, the farmers, youths and the old".
The apex court on Monday allowed his and the state government's appeals against a high court order which had accepted the maintainability of PILs for a probe in the mining lease issue. Earlier this year, Soren had said that a petition seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate into a stone mining lease case was an attempt to "destabilise the democratically-elected state government".
" A peculiar situation is prevailing in the state ever since the UPA government came to power in Jharkhand with the clear intention to deliver and ensure development of the state. Some forces became so active that they have formed a PIL gang to file litigations against our government with false allegations," he said.
"They (BJP) had also accused former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda for being involved in a Rs.40,000 crore scam. How much could they recover?" Soren asked and accused the saffron party of "ruining" his (Koda's ) future.
Koda was the chief minister of the UPA government of Jharkhand from 2006 to 2008 and had resigned after the JMM withdrew support. It was alleged that he was involved in a mining scam that occurred in the state and took huge bribes for illegally allotting iron ore and coal mining contracts when he helmed the state. He was arrested by the state police vigilance wing on November 30, 2009 in connection with the mining scam and was released on bail from Birsa Munda Prison here on July 31, 2013. A special money-laundering court in Delhi attached Koda's properties worth Rs 144 crore disproportionate assets case and CBII is investigating the scam on the orders of Jharkhand HC.
Referring to the saffron party's protests against corruption outside block offices in the state on Monday, Soren said "I want to ask why and for what are you protesting. The allegations of corruption you have lodged against me and my government has been dismissed by the apex court today," Soren said amidst loud cheers from the large crowd which had gathered to hear him.
He claimed that the BJP's protests were being held by people it had hired. "With the overwhelming response we are getting from the people across the state it is not impossible that the opposition will face dearth of activists to carry its flags.
Continuing his attack on the saffron party, Soren said "You (BJP) are scared of the overwhelming response my government is getting for our popular welfare schemes for the people ... We are aware that you (BJP) have the master degree in inciting people, in driving a wedge between people and have lots of tricks to create tension and spread hatred.
"They (opposition) first try to bargain and if it fails to materialise, file a PIL," Soren said adding such an approach is hindering development work.
The BJP was able to rule the state for 20 years and loot it as the tribals were uneducated and did not understand politics. "The BJP always took the tribals to be fools, capable of only selling hadia (country liquor). The UPA government is committed to carry out development work and put the mineral rich state on the path of progress," he said.
Continuing his attack on BJP, Soren said the opposition party's claim of development in the state during its rule was "only on paper" as the people remained neglected.
The schemes of the UPA government in power now are aimed at strengthening the rural economy and to increase the income of poor, he said.
President of Jamshedpur Mahanagar Committee of BJP, Gunjan Yadav said in a statement that the Soren government had promised to provide employment to five lakh youths of the state but has not fulfilled it yet.
Besides, the chief minister had promised to provide allowances to the unemployed youth of the state. "It remains unfufilled even three years after as the govrnment is only engaged in grabbing publicity," Yadav said.
Yadav said at the function that the UPA government launched the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Scholarship scheme, an overseas scholarship scheme, which is the first of its kind in the country. Besides, a new scheme for higher education of youths will be launched by President Droupadi Murmu on Jharkhand's foundation day on November 15.
He inaugurated and laid foundations of 230 projects worth Rs 2341 crore, including developing and converting MGM Hospital into a super speciality hospital at a cost of Rs.418 crore and construction of a 4.02km-long flyover between Mango-Sakchi here at a cost of Rs 474 crore.
