VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi/Dumka, July 11; Amid the political brickbats between the JMM and the BJP, this giant JMM banner on Deoghar-Dumka road welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Deoghar offers a picture in contrast.
But what looks a symbol of bonhomie is actually a poster war between the ruling JMM and the BJP opposition as the BJP has garbed all the prime places and even nooks and corners in Deoghar with posters and banners to welcome PM Modi. The JMM woke up only after party boss and CM Hemant Soren snubbed local units for being so lethargic.
The BJP has dominated the poster war to an extent that PM Narendra Modi’s Deoghar visit on July 12 looks like a political programme of the BJP. The PM is arriving at Deoghar to inaugurate the newly constructed airport worth Rs 401.34 crore.
“Is there any space left for the JMM in Deoghar to fix its banners, posters and flags? All spaces are full and the JMM is just trying to make its presence felt. These have been placed by the district administration on behalf of the JMM. But why is the JMM doing all these things? There have been occasions when Chief Minister Hemant Soren and his party leaders ridiculed the PM’s commitment for development. It is strange that the JMM is now welcoming the PM of the nation. This airport is a gift of the PM to the people of Santhal Pargana and the JMM is trying to grab the space,” said BJP’s Godda MP Nishikant Dubey.
The BJP fixed more than 500 banners and posters across Deoghar many days before the arrival of the PM. The JMM too ran for space to hang banners to celebrate the opening of the airport and to welcome the PM. But there is a space crush for the JMM as the BJP has just grabbed the eyeballs.
Sources said that the JMM swung into poster war only after chief minister Hemant Soren visited Deoghar and became unhappy as he did not find welcome banners and posters of his party. Madhupur MLA and minister Hafizul Hassan, was instructed to ensure proper display of the active presence of the party through banners, posters and flags.
“Sunischit kijiye ki CM Sahib jab Deoghar land karen to banner dekhkar unka mood theek rahe, (ensure that when CM sir land in Deoghar he is pleased to see banners),” Hafizul Hassan is said to have instructed to his men.
When contacted Deoghar district president of the JMM Sanjay Sharma, he said that they have planned to put around 100 banners and a minimum 1000 flags at prominent places. But he denied that the JMM woke up very late.
“It is necessary to protect banners and posters from damage so we did not put these much before. All of us are welcoming the PM in Deoghar. We had placed banners in other parts of Deoghar and we were just planning to cover the airport road when the Chief Minister arrived. He advised us that there should be banners and posters on the airport road also,” he said.
He said that on the behalf of the party he has applied for an entry pass for 50 persons to attend the airport inauguration ceremony. “I came to know that 300 passes will be issued. We will be attending the main event,” he said.
