BJP accuses JMM of protecting sand mafia, shielding accused
JAMSHEDPUR:The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday attacked Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), leading the opposition alliance, of providing ‘protection’ to sand mafia in Jharkhand.
BJP state spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo on Sunday questioned JMM’s ‘love for sand’ and said this love bond is what had got JMM top leadership and its grassroot workers entwined in one thread.
“On the one hand, former CM and JMM working president Hemant Soren gifts ownership (lease) of sand ghat to his friend in Mumbai after snatching it from Gram Sabhas and on the other his party workers have started following in his footsteps at grassroot level also. JMM candidate Baheragora Smit Mahanty got into a scuffle with mining inspector in a bid to get his brother’s tractor released which was found involved in illegal mining of sand,” said Pratul.
He said a case was lodged against Samir at that time for obstructing government work, snatching, scuffle and illegal mining by the officer.
“Now that the court has issued arrest warrant against Samir, JMM is seeing politics in it. Hemant has described it as a conspiracy in a bid to justify his candidate. But then, he should tell the people if the seized tractor didn’t belong to Samir’s
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JMM never had any respect for the constitution or institutions under it and that was evident when it desecrated the Parliament in lieu of MP bribery scam PRATUL SHAHDEO, BJP state spokesperson
bother Malau Mahanty and if the sand found leaded in the tractor was not illegally mined,” questioned Pratul.
The BJP spokesperson further said, if the leader of the opposition was protecting an accused even after knowing the answers to his questions and despite court warrants against him, then it tantamount to contempt of court.
“But then JMM never had any respect for the Constitution and institutions under it. It was evident when its MLAs threw shoes and paperweights on Assembly Speaker or when it desecrated the Parliament in lieu of MP bribery scam,” said Pratul, adding that there was no politics and law was taking its own course in Samir Mahanty’s case.
BJP statement came in the wake of JMM candidate from Baheragora assembly seat Samir Mahanty going underground after the court of additional district judge (ADJ) removed its stay order on his arresting following submission of case diary by the police in court on Friday in a case related to alleged scuffle with a mining inspector over seizure of a vehicle carrying illegally mined sand. The next hearing in the case is on November 28.
Mahanty is considered as the main challenge to sitting MLA Kunal Sarangi, who shifted to BJP from JMM couple of weeks back, in Baheragora seat. Mahanty himself was strong contender for BJP ticket along with former BJP Jharkhand president Dr Dineshanand Goswami but joined JMM when the saffron party settled for Kunal as its candidate from the seat.
As per the available information, mining inspector Rahul Kumar had lodged a case (No28/19) against Mahanty and his supporters in Chakulia police station on charges of obstructing government work and under other relevant sections about a month ago.
Chauklia police station officer-in-charge (OC) Tribhuvan Ram had then acted on the basis of the complaint by Kumar.