The JMM has objected to the state government directive on repairing the new Assembly building, a part of which was damaged by fire on Wednesday night.

“We have demanded an inquiry by a sitting high court judge into the incident but the government, to hide irregularities, has ordered a repair. This is nothing but an effort to bury the proofs that would have revealed the problem because of which the fire broke out,” JMM general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya said.

Referring to the reported statement of BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra that the new Assembly building belonged to both the ruling and the Opposition parties and politics should be kept out of the incident, Bhattacharya said: “BJP leaders are in a habit of telling lies when caught on the wrong foot.”

The JMM leader said his party had particularly objected to the Raghubar Das government’s move of inaugurating the incomplete building but at that time the suggestion fell on deaf ears and now when irregularities have come to light, efforts are being made to hide the truth by undertaking the repair work in haste.

The JMM has also written a letter to the chief electoral officer (CEO) of Jharkhand urging his intervention in Dumka, where two government officials were allegedly working as agents of BJP candidate Louis Marandi and were offering cash doles to people.

JMM party working president Hemant Soren is contesting from Dumka and Barhet.

He had lost it from this seat to Marandi in 2014 but had won the Barhet seat. This time too Hemant is contesting from the two seats.