SUMAN K SHRIVASTAVA
Ranchi, May 18: BJP legislature party leader and former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi has said his commitment to protecting jobs for Jharkhandis is unwavering.
“I don’t talk of 60:40 or 1932 or 1936. I have been committed to protect 100 percent jobs for Jharkhandis since the creation of Jharkhand,” Marandi, the state’s first chief minister, told this writer.
“The JMM might have used the 1932 slogan to garner tribal votes. But, for me, protecting the rights of tribals and other vulnerable sections, is not a mere slogan. It is an article of faith for me and the Jharkhandis should rest assured that no one can snatch jobs from them so long as he is at the helm of affairs,” he maintained. .
Marandi said that the JMM has cheated the Jharkhandis, particularly tribals and others, by merely making promises. “But when it came to fulfilling the promises, Chief Minister Hemant Soren did not take adequate legal steps to ensure jobs for the locals and adequate reservation for tribals and OBCs. He merely got the bills passed in the Assembly in a huff when he feared that he was going to be thrown out of power for getting a lease for stone mines misusing his official position. He did not take the required legal steps and so the Raj Bhawan returned both the bills,” Marandi pointed out.
“On the other hand, I never talked of 1932 or 1936. What I did after taking over the reins of the State was to adopt a resolution followed in the erstwhile Bihar to define a local on the basis of land records (Khatiyan) and give preference to such defined locals in grade III and IV jobs. “Since the last survey was carried out in Ranchi in 1932, so it was picked up and discussed by newspapers published from Ranchi. “However, the reality was that the land survey has been conducted in various districts during different periods. Nobody talked of this variation,” he pointed out.
“The Jharkhand high court thereafter struck it down and suggested certain criteria to define a local. I had also reserved 73 percent jobs for all categories of the people which too was struck down with certain guidelines,” he recalled.
“And thereafter I moved out of the government. But I have maintained all these years that Jharkhandis have the first right over the grade III and IV jobs. There is no question of going back on this commitment,” he maintained.
Incidentally, some youth had gathered at the residence of Dhanbad MP P N Singh and MLA Raj Sinha yesterday, asking them to give in writing that they did not favour the 60:40 reservation formula, adopted by the Hemant Soren government. These youth have been agitating against the Hemant Soren government’s policy under which 60 percents jobs will be reserved for underprivileged categories and the rest 40 percent jobs have been thrown open for all sections of the job aspirants.
They frantically called up Marandi, who, in turn, asked them to assure the agitating youth and give in writing that the BJP will ensure that they get 100 percent class III and IV jobs.
The Soren government framed this policy after the Jharkhand high court trashed his policy which debarred the students, who matriculated from the schools outside Jharkhand, from applying for a teacher’s job in Jharkhand.
Talking about his bete noire Shibu Soren and Hemant Soren, Marandi said that the JMM has always cheated the tribals and natives of Jharkhand. “Shibu Soren garnered tribal votes to make his son chief minister and create wealth for his entire family. Had he ever thought of protecting the interests of tribals, he would have preferred a common Adivasi to be the chief minister, instead of his son. He never thought for the welfare of common Adivasis. No wonder his son too is toeing his father’s line,” he signed off.
