Jamshedpur: Jharkhand Vikas Morcha leaders today accused former Chief Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arjun Munda of trying to use muscle power to influence the Lok Sabha elections. They made the allegation in a reaction to Munda�s meeting with Akhilesh Singh, a convict service life sentence and presently out on a parole.
District JVM president Firoz Khan and other party leaders criticized Munda whose photo with Akhilesh was published in local newspapers today. Akhilesh, accompanied by his supporters met Munda during Baisakhi Nite programme organized at Gurudwara ground, Sakchi, late yesterday evening.
�It is shocking and dismaying to know that Arjun Munda is brushing shoulders with someone who is out on a parole and is a convict. Not only Munda, but Vidyut Varan Mahato too, met Akhilesh at his residence at Sidhgora this evening. It appears that some conspiracy to use muscle power is in the offing ahead of the elections,� said Khan.
The JVM leaders demanded that the district administration should take up the matter and initiate proceedings for violation of the Model Code of Conduct. They said Akhilesh had announced to donate Rs 51,000 from the stage during a public programme. They said his appearance in the public despite being a life prisoner was a matter of grave concern.
The JVM leaders said they were in favour of peaceful election in Jamshedpur Lok Sabha constituency and that they were in no mood to support any tactic to flex muscles by the BJP. �The people of Jamshedpur are educated and sensitive. They will surely not cast their vote in favour of any candidate on being influenced by musclemen or under fear of bullet. They will elect the candidate through the ballot paper instead,� said CH Rammurthy, spokesperson of JVM.
The JVM leaders said district administration had earlier removed posters and banners of Akhilesh Singh put up at various city places on his joining All Jharkhand Students Union. They said the voters had rejected candidates with criminal background at many places in the country in the year 2009 during general elections.