Jamshedpur, Sep. 10: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday advised Jharkhand Government not to take any steps to amend the Chotanagpur Tenancy (CNT) Act and the Santhal Pargana Tenancy (SPT).
He said that the acts are related with tribal sentiments and any step taken to amend them may have adverse effect on the State. Kumar, who was in the city to participate in Karma Mahotsav organized by Kurmi Sena at Gopal Maidan, was addressing media at local Circuit House.
�I am of the opinion that these Acts are symbols of tribal life and any move to change it might trigger social unrest. The Government must not take any step to bring changes in it. The tribal population should be taken into confidence to ensure progress,� noted the Chief Minister. He also reiterated his demand to ban liquor in Jharkhand too.
Kumar said that Bihar had become an example of successfully implementing total prohibition in the country. The women folk are equally happy with the Government�s decision. �As an elder brother of Raghubar Das I had requested him to take steps to ban liquor.
But the Government lacks will power to take steps in this regard. On the development front, Bihar and Jharkhand need to work together. The liquor ban has yielded positive results in Bihar. Jharkhand too can gain from this step,� claimed Kumar, while answering queries from media. He also added that the entire nation had realised
the importance of liquor ban.
Kumar was felicitated by members of Kurmi Sena during the inauguration of the Karma Mahotsav. He was gifted a memento depicting the importance of the Chhau dance of Jharkhand by the organizers on the occasion.
The Bihar CM in his speech extended his support to Kurmis� demand for ST status. He said that the community had a formidable presence and that it deserves to be given ST status. It may be mentioned that Kurmi community alone comprised of 1.5 lakhs members out of the total population in Jamshedpur. �The community has always been a potent political group in the state and a swing in its votes is capable of tilting the political balance. The community has been demanding ST status,� he said.
Training his guns on the Union Government, he called the recent decision on flexi fare system in the railways unjustified. He said the Indian Railway was a symbol of national integration and the entire population was dependent on it. He said the Government must roll back its decision.
Nitish here arrived by road from Ranchi to participate in the Karma Mahotsav. He went to Kadma to pay tribute to the founder leader of JMM late Nirmal Mahto. A 25-member security team from Patna was also in the steel city to keep vigil. The team also took stock of security arrangements at Gopal Maidan this morning.
