VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, March 11: Jubilant over the victory of the BJP in the assembly elections in four states, the MLAs of Jharkhand BJP turned up at the assembly donning the saffron dress and chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram’. As the budget session of the assembly started at 11.15 AM on Friday, the BJP MLAs entered the assembly hall one by one, raising their hands and chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’.
The BJP registered a phenomenal victory in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, and Goa after results were declared on Thursday. The victory in Uttar Pradesh has offered a special reason to the BJP to celebrate where Yogi Adityanath has returned to power.
But the BJP MLAs celebrating the victory with the chant of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and display of saffron dress irked minister Mithilesh Thakur of the JMM who advised the BJP MLAs to go to a temple.
“Speaker Sir, they are celebrating the victory of saffron inside the temple of democracy. They should be sent to some temples and priests of temples should be taken here. I believe that the priests of temples will be more concerned about the welfare of people,” Mithilesh Thakur said.
But the BJP MLAs kept chanting slogans. The proceedings of the House started when BJP legislator Kushwaha Shashibhushan Mehta raised the issue of pending applications of land mutations.
Mehta said that in Ranchi the 28545 applications of land mutations were rejected without any cause. “This is not the case of Ranchi only; it is happening all over Jharkhand. Applications of land mutations have piled up and the circle officers reject applications without any reason,” he said. The MLA demanded a high-level inquiry.
BJP MLA Naveen Jaiswal also participated in the debate and said that the government should clarify whether a circle officer is entitled to examine the application of land mutation afresh once he rejected it. He said that raiyats have been facing problems.
Responding to the question, minister Joba Manjhi said that a committee was formed to examine these issues and said that the law if a circle officer or any other revenue staff is found involved in manipulation and harassing people will be punished.
But the opposition was not satisfied with the response of the minister and said that the committee was formed only after the question was raised during the session. Intervening in the debate, independent MLA Amit Yadav said that the government formed the committee on February 22 only after Shashibhushan Mehta officially listed this question for the assembly debate.
“The government woke up and formed the committee only after the question was raised otherwise the government kept sleeping,” Amit Yadav said. BJP MLA C. P. Singh also raised the same issue. He said that he has been personally facing this problem. “Thrice I attempted for the land mutation but failed. I even asked the revenue staff whether they need money,” he said.
The Minister on this assured to look into the matter and said that the government will pass necessary directions to clear pending applications.
