Ghatshila bypoll fight to save Jharkhand from powerbrokers, corrupt middlemen: Marandi

Jamshedpur, Oct 12 (PTI): Jharkhand BJP president and leader of opposition Babulal Marandi on Saturday termed the upcoming Ghatshila assembly bypoll a battle to save the state from "middlemen, corruption and powerbrokers." Addressing booth-level party workers at Gudabandha ground in Ghatshila, Marandi accused the Hemant Soren-led government of betraying the people while claiming to run an 'Abua Sarkar' (our government) for Adivasis and locals.

"Middlemen and mafias control every sector while development work has come to a standstill. Even poor people cannot get sand to build homes. When I was chief minister, sand was made free for all, but in 2013 when Hemant Soren became the CM, he handed sand ghats to brokers from Delhi, Mumbai and Bihar," he alleged.

He added that police now arrest villagers for lifting sand from rivers, while the big operators go untouched.

Calling the bypoll a referendum on governance, Marandi said Ghatshila's voters would send a clear message that the state must be freed from corruption and exploitation.

Marandi also alleged demographic changes in the state due to infiltration and citing old census data, claimed the tribal population had fallen from 36 per cent in 1951 to 26 per cent, while the Hindu population declined from 88 to 81 per cent and Muslim population rose from 8.9 to 14.3 per cent.

He blamed Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltration for the shift and accused the current government of giving them patronage.

He urged BJP workers to take a pledge to protect Jharkhand's land, culture and identity, saying the party stands committed to safeguarding the state's "soil, food and daughters." Marandi said the people of Ghatshila would ensure victory to show that Jharkhand belongs to its rightful sons and daughters, not to brokers and outsiders.

The Ghatshila constituency had fallen vacant this year after the death of state Education Minister Ramdas Soren in Delhi in August following a prolonged illness.

The constituency, which has remained a traditional fortress of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, was won only once by the BJP in 2014. No party has yet announced their candidates for the November 11 polls. PTI ANB MNB