BJP chief defends Mahto’s candidature amid opposition

RANCHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Babulal Marandi on Monday slammed Jamshedpur (East) MLA Saryu Roy, who on Sunday levelled allegations against party candidate from Dhanbad parliamentary constituency, Dhullu Mahto, of being a convicted criminal.

Mahto is not a criminal... Roy is not a judge,” said Marandi while addressing a press conference at BJP state headquarters in Harmu.

Defending Mahto, Marandi said he is also booked in half a dozen criminal cases. “There are half a dozen criminal cases against me also. They were registered when I took out Sankalp Yatra to expose the corruption done by the JMM-led state government,” he said, adding that many criminal cases were “false”.

Asked about the threat given by Prince Khan after controversy over Mahto’s candidacy from Dhanbad, Marandi said he had already raised the demand to arrest those associated with Khan. “Prince Khan is an old criminal. Six months ago I met the DGP and asked him to arrest those who work under the direction of Khan, but nothing has been done so far,” he said.

Earlier, Marandi targeted INDIA bloc leaders assembled at Ramleela Ground in Delhi on Sunday.

He argued that they have reduced democracy to a material possession and now play the victim when legal actions are launched against them, providing everyone with the same chances. He said convicted criminal and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad, who is ineligible for contesting elections, “set the narrative of the INDIA bloc”.

“ED has seized their property worth more than ₹1 lakh crore, therefore they are worried,” Marandi said.

Taking a jibe at jailed leaders including Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Satyendra Jain and Hemant Soren, Marandi said they are all in the right place.

Marandi claimed that these leaders are not abiding by the law, which paved their way to jail. “When a person doesn’t follow the law, he ends up at a place where people like Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Satyendra Jain and Hemant Soren went. These people are in the right place,” said Marandi.