Former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren's wife Kalpana Soren
Credit: PTI Photo
Ranchi: Terming Kalpana Soren, wife of jailed Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren as a 'CM material', AICC general secretary and in-charge of the state Ghulam Ahmed Mir on Tuesday said the BJP will pay a heavy price for its 'injustices' meted out to political leaders and people.
Riding on a wave in the favour of the INDIA bloc following the arrest of Soren who preferred courting jail rather than bowing down before 'communal forces', the opposition alliance will sweep the Lok Sabha elections in Jharkhand, Mir claimed.
"The BJP’s biggest mistake is the injustice they are doing with political leaders like Hemant Soren and Arvind Kejriwal besides the general people of the country. They are going to pay a heavy price for arresting a leader like Soren without any concrete base. The move has increased the popularity of the INDIA bloc and there is a sympathy wave too,” he said in an interview with PTI.
Soren, also the JMM executive president, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam on January 31.
The saffron camp saw Soren as a threat as such leaders are 'rarely seen in the tribal community' and his arrest is a pressure tactic to silence their voice, Mir said.
To a question, Mir said, "Kalpana Soren, based on my interaction with her, is very intelligent and has vision. She has all the ingredients for a CM and if need be, we as a natural ally of Congress will support her." Speculations are rife that the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) may field Kalpana Soren from the Gandey assembly seat where a bypoll is scheduled on May 20 along with parliamentary elections in the state.
The seat in Giridih district fell vacant after the resignation of JMM MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad.
In an attack on the saffron party, Mir claimed: “We have fielded candidates who are grounded, honest and are available to the masses. Unlike the BJP, we are not going to import leaders. Despite dominating the last three Lok Sabha elections, the saffron camp is poised for hard times now and is facing factors like anti-incumbency," he claimed.
The saffron party is contesting from 13 constituencies according to a seat-sharing pact with ally AJSU Party which has fielded its candidate from Giridih Lok Sabha seat. The state with 14 Lok Sabha seats will vote in four phases beginning May 13.
The BJP has given tickets mostly to those who have come to the party either ahead of the Lok Sabha polls or earlier.
Mir claimed that the INDIA bloc will win at least 8-9 seats this time and the figure may go higher since voters feel disenchanted with BJP this time.
"Jhkarhand has been vibrant and politically conscious. People here sacrificed much to achieve a separate state but many issues remained unaddressed. The Centre neglected the state and even did not provide its due share of funds," he alleged.
He alleged that the BJP-led central government has been sitting on several key proposals.
The Jharkhand Assembly had passed a resolution for the inclusion of ‘Sarna’ as a separate religion. However, a decision on this is pending with the Centre.
Also, a bill which sought to use 1932 land records to determine the domicile status of the state’s people is with the Governor. Another bill seeking to enhance reservation in the state is also pending with Raj Bhavan.
Dismissing any differences over seat-sharing among INDIA bloc members, Mir said the Congress has already announced three candidates, JMM two and the Left and the RJD one each.
Candidates for remaining seats will be announced shortly, he said.
“This time there is no wave for BJP. All 12 NDA MPs of the state including 11 of the BJP failed to perform,” Mir claimed.
He also claimed that the BJP will witness a decline in its number of seats at the national level.
Mir said, "BJP is losing at least 125 of the 303 seats. This is their in-house predictions and surveys and this is the reason they are desperate this time. People want employment, respect and justice. How long will you play the politics of religion?”