RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, June 20: A day after AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi asked Muslims to support BJP rebel Dev Kumar Dhan in the Mandar bypoll scheduled on June 23, Chief Minister Hemant Soren and former chief minister Babulal Marandi swung into action to ensure victory of their candidates.
Hemant Soren is supporting Shilpi Neha Tirkey, a Congress candidate and Marandi, who is at present BJP legislature party chief, is supporting Gangotri Kujur.
Soren addressed election meetings at Lapung College ground, Silagain, Fultogri ground and Madarasa Chowk while Marandi addressed Jan Choupal at Hulso, Mahugaon, Lalganj, Danekera and Latratu.
During their campaign Soren asked people to support Tirkey for all round development of the constituency and termed her victory important in the interest of secularism, communalism, justice, social welfare, democracy, independence of constitutional bodies.
Soren during the public meetings said Shilpi’s father Bandhu Tirkey was falsely implicated in a CBI case that led to his termination from the assembly. He counted achievements of his government saying when labourers were stranded outside the state during the lock down it was his government which arranged airplanes to bring them back to Jharkhand. He also condemned the Agniveer scheme of the union government saying if the villagers want to get rid of such a scheme they need to support Tirkey.
Marandi, on the other hand, asked villagers to vote in favour of the BJP to root out corruption and pave the path for development. He counted works the BJP has done for the development of all including tribals, non-tribals and minorities. He said that the BJP works for people while Congress and JMM works for families. He informed people how the chief minister’s family members got benefitted after Hemant Soren became chief minister. He made villagers aware of the present controversy over the mining lease, stone mining, shell companies besides others.
