Congress and JMM, two key constituents of the ruling coalition in Jharkhand, held a Jan Akrosh Rally near Durga Soren Chowk at Namkum on Sunday to condemn the attack on chief minister Hemant Soren’s cavalcade last month and demand a rollback of the three contentious farm laws.

Over 2,000 people, majority of them tribals from Namkum, Khijri and adjoining blocks of Ranchi, attended the rally carrying banners and posters denouncing the attack on Hemant. Several protestors comprising women and children also turned up at the rally on tractors carrying spades and other farm tools to vent their ire against the farm laws in solidarity with the farmers protesting on Delhi borders.

Finance minister Rameshwar Oraon addressing the farmers during Jan Akrosh Maharally at Hightention Ground Namkum in Ranchi on Sunday.

Farmers participating in the Jan Akrosh Maharally at Hightention Ground Namkum in Ranchi on Sunday.

As the crowd began trickling from 11am, vehicular movement was disrupted on the road that connects Ranchi with NH-33 and serves as a gateway to the state capital. Traffic police struggled to maintain order as cars and buses jostled for space.

On January 6, the chief minister’s cavalcade was attacked by protestors at Kishoreganj Chowk while they were demanding action against those responsible for the murder of a young woman whose body was found earlier that week at Ormanjhi.

After weeks of investigations, the accused are finally behind bars.

But the ruling coalition blames the BJP for orchestrating the attack on the chief minister’s entourage.

Farmer's children enjoying and participating in the Jan Akrosh Maharally at Hightention Ground Namkum in Ranchi on Sunday.

Farmers along with their tractor participating in the Jan Akrosh Maharally at Hightention Ground Namkum in Ranchi on Sunday.

Congress MLA from Khijri Rajesh Kachchap, who conceptualised Sunday’s rally, said, “The ‘jan-akrosh’ rally is to tell the BJP that the entire state and its tribals are behind our chief minister. The rally is to warn the BJP for acting against people of this country. One by one, they are conspiring to sell everything to private players to suit their capitalist friends. Now, lives of the farmers, who are the backbone of this country, are at stake due to the three black farm laws. The laws must be taken back.”

Congress ministers Rameshwar Oraon (finance), Badal Patralekh (agriculture) and a host of workers attended the rally.

Oraon said the Congress would not sit idle till the farm laws were repealed. “While farmers are fighting for their rights along Delhi borders for the last two months, in Jharkhand, we stand in solidarity with them. On February 20, the Congress party is going to stage another state-level tractor rally at Hazaribagh after the grand success of the Hul tractor rally in Santhal Pargana last week,” he said.