BJP and Congress robbed Jharkhand of its riches: Babulal Marandi

Jamshedpur: Former Chief Minister and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha president Babulal Marandi today accused Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party of being knee-deep in corruption. He said Congress was eyeing the rich natural resources of Jharkhand.

The JVM leader, addressing a public meeting at Agrico Transport ground in the evening, alleged that Congress party wanted to rob the state of its mines and minerals. �All that the Congress wants is the riches of this state. It makes people of the likes of Sibu Soren, Madhu Koda and Hemant Soren the CM of the state to achieve its selfish aim. The BJP, Congress, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and All Jharkhand Students Union have been looting the people and the state while neglecting development issues,� he said.

Marandi accused the two national parties of patronizing criminals. He said the state had witnessed a spurt in major crimes including murders in the last three years. �The number of killings in the state in the last three years outnumbers the killings in Kashmir. Also people have not forgotten the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 and the incidents in Gujarat. In Chhatisgarh, where BJP is in power, murders are being committed every day. The BJP�s promises to secure the lives of the people of this country are hence baseless,� he said.

The former CM said JVM was the only option before the voters of the state in the elections. He said JVM�s victory could pave way for a bright tomorrow for the state and its people.

Marandi appealed to the people to vote for Dr Ajoy, JVM candidate from Jamshedpur Lok Sabha constituency, for his contribution to development of the city in the last two and a half year. He said the people should ensure that Dr Ajoy wins the election by a landslide margin against all his opponents.

The JVM leader accused the Hemant Soren-led state government of selling sand to �outsiders� instead of giving the right to sell it to the gram sabha. He said neither the BJP nor the Congress seemed concerned about the interests of the people of Jharkhand. He cautioned the people against the government and its agents.

Other party leaders present on the occasion included Pravin Singh, Dulal Bhuiyan, Abhay Singh, Sharda Devi, Babua Singh, Dr Nassar Firdausi, Ramesh Sahi and Jatashankar Pandey.