Jharkhand chief minister Champai Soren took a swipe at the BJP’s electoral slogan “Modi ki guarantee”, branding it as a “guarantee of lies and deception aimed at tribals”.
Champai was speaking at consecutive events in Jamshedpur — marking the foundation laying of a 50,000-litre per day capacity dairy plant — and the inauguration and foundation laying of other projects in his home constituency Seraikela on
Thursday evening.
He said: “The BJP and its leaders excel in rhetoric but lack action. Their only guarantee is one of falsehoods and deceit. They misled tribal people during their tenure in the double engine sarkar (the former Raghubar Das-led government between 2014-19) and continue to do so.”
“They attempted to tamper with land tenancy rules, which safeguard tribal lands and natural resources, during their governance in Jharkhand and faced rejection by the people. At present, they have amended the Forest Conservation Act without regard to the objections of Opposition parties, depriving gram sabhas (village committees) of their rights over forest lands,” said Champai, who heads a JMM-Congress-RJD coalition government in Jharkhand succeeding Hemant Soren.
The controversial Forest Conservation (Amendment) Act, 2023 (FCAA), came into effect on December 1, 2023, amidst widespread criticism from citizens, scientists, non-profits and even legislators. Despite the protests, the environment ministry has initiated the implementation of the act, allowing state governments to approve forest diversions previously deemed illegal under the original legislation, the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 (FCA).
Champai reiterated his accusation of the Centre misusing federal agencies, such as the ED, to implicate former chief minister Hemant Soren in alleged money
laundering charges.
“When our government, under Hemantbabu, provided the basic necessities of roti, kapda and makan (food, clothing and shelter) to the marginalised, they (referring to the BJP) grew anxious and employed the ED to falsely accuse Hemantbabu without any documentary evidence. However, our party will strengthen through this adversity and will not allow the BJP to gain ground in the Lok Sabha polls in the state,”
cautioned Champai.
Significantly, the ED arrested Hemant Soren following his resignation on January 31 and is in judicial custody at Ranch Central Jail.
Highlighting their government’s accomplishments, Champai asserted that they had distributed free dhotis and sarees to the poor and were providing free homes to rural homeless at their own expense after the Centre denied funding. He also announced plans to distribute salt and pulses free to all ration card holders, in addition to rice.
Champai’s cabinet, late on Wednesday evening, decided to provide a kilogram of pulses and refined iodised salt to consumers free of charge under Central and state food security schemes, which, according to the government, is expected to benefit more than 50 lakh families.
