MANISH GUPTA
Ranchi, Sept 21: Saying that Jharkhand is going through a phase where national parties have lost their way, Jamshedpur East MLA Saryu Roy on Wednesday called upon the people of the state to realize their responsibilities and play their part.
“When national parties get bewildered in the face of regional political agenda, then the people affected by this agenda have to determine their special role. One has to raise the voice for one’s rights in a patient, legal way,” the former BJP leader said in a tweet.
It may be noted that the Election Commission of India (ECI) sent a report to Governor Ramesh Bais about a month ago on possible disqualification of Chief Minister Hemant Soren due to an office-of-profit case. But, the Governor is yet to clear the matter.
Meanwhile, Soren has made several requests to the Governor to clear the uncertainty and announce his recommendation, whatever it may be. Soren has since been in an election mode announcing welfare schemes and plans to fill vacant posts.
The Chief Minister’s latest major announcement has been the controversial domicile policy that defines local people of the state based on land records of the 1932 survey. It has been an old slogan of the JMM but was quashed by the High Court in 2002.
“Hemant Soren has said that they will send the local policy bill to the central government for inclusion in the ninth schedule. The Government of India will not do it and then he will say that see we wanted to implement it but the centre is not allowing it. They probably do not understand that it is not even in the hands of the Government of India.
“Any inclusion of law in the ninth schedule after 1973 needs judicial review, which again brings the High Court or the Supreme Court in the picture leaving no role for the centre. Till the time Jharkhand is a part of India, implementing 1932 khatiyan is not possible. This political strategy of Hemant Soren will not work,” said Saryu Roy.
The senior legislator said that tribal leaders like former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi, who first tried implementing the rule during BJP’s government in 2002 but failed, should tell the people that implementing local policy based on 1932 records is not possible.
