Congress alleges saffronization of stage during PM’s visit, accuses attempt to polarize tribal votes

Ranchi, Nov 15: Tensions have escalated in the political arena following Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Jharkhand on the occasion of Jharkhand Foundation Day and Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary. Jharkhand Congress State President Rajesh Thakur and Rural Development Minister cum Legislative Party leader Alamgir Alam voiced criticism against PM Modi in a press conference. Thakur alleged that the stage at Ulihatu in Khunti was saffronized under the guise of paying tribute to Birsa Munda, accusing PM Modi of attempting to polarize tribal votes ahead of the elections in five states.

Thakur asserted that providing a stage presence to someone who compared joining BJP to jumping from Qutub Minar amounts to a betrayal of the public. Babulal Marandi, not yet a BJP member in the Assembly, was accorded a place as BJP President, indicating that Modi visited Jharkhand as the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, not as the Prime Minister. Thakur questioned why other Jharkhand MLAs were not given stage representation and suggested that if Babulal was to be included, making him a member of the Tribal Commission would have been a more appropriate choice.

In the press conference, Thakur demanded that PM Modi allocate Rs 1 lakh 40 thousand crore as royalty and implement the passed bill. Alamgir Alam joined in, urging the implementation of the Sarna Dharma Code for tribals, which the Jharkhand government has passed in the Assembly and sent to the Governor.
Alam expressed skepticism about the completion of PM Modi’s initiatives for the Scheduled Tribes and criticized the government’s failure to fulfill promises, particularly regarding housing. He highlighted the Jharkhand government’s efforts in providing old age and widow pensions in contrast to the unfulfilled commitments at the national level.