LAGATAR24 NETWORK
Dumka, July 14: Resentment against the controversial statement issued by Congress leader Ajoy Kumar against BJP presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu has started brewing within the rank and file of the JMM even as the party formally announced support to her for the upcoming presidential election.
After sparking large scale backlash from different quarters, including the BJP leadership, Kumar’s remarks against Droupadi Murmu’s candidature has now got JMM’s chief whip in the assembly Nalin Soren accusing him of humiliating the entire tribal community.
Kumar, who is the national spokesperson of the Congress and former Jharkhand president of the party, had stated recently that Droupadi Murmu who is the official nominee of the BJP to contest the presidential election represented an “evil philosophy” and that she should not be deemed to be a tribal symbol.
The seven-time MLA from Shikaripara in a row, Soren has rarely engaged in political mudslinging against even rivals. However, Soren registered his protest against what he said were derogatory attempts by the senior Congress leader against Murmu, in particular, and the tribal community at large.
“Dr Ajoy Kumar should immediately withdraw his statement and apologise to the country for his abusive statement against a tribal lady being a presidential candidate, who has already proved her neutrality and impartiality while discharging her constitutional obligations being the governor of Jharkhand,” Soren said on Thursday, while on his way to Ranchi to attend a party meeting convened for the presidential election itself.
Soren further said that despite the transparent image of Droupadi Murmu such statements as to brand her for representing an evil philosophy of any party amount to humiliating the entire tribal community of the country and exposes the prevailing state of immaturity at the top level of the Congress leadership.
The perceived growing proximity between the BJP and the JMM since the recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Deoghar has sparked speculation about the arch political rivals coming closer to each other with the gap between the two major ruling coalition partners, Congress and JMM, widened after Kumar’s controversial statement. Kumar claims that he was misquoted.
