Ranchi, July 18: Jharkhand has become a “laboratory” for political experiments denting the image of the state, former Chief Minister and BJP leader Arjun Munda today said.
”Credibility of politics in Jharkhand is going down as the state has been turned into a political laboratory,” Munda said while speaking against the vote of confidence moved by Chief Minister Hemant Soren in the state Assembly here.
Stating that it was the third trust vote in the same House, Munda recalled how he resigned on January 8 this year and his then cabinet recommended dissolution of the House to maintain credibility after his government was reduced to a minority.
But instead of dissolving the House, he added, the Raj Bhavan waited for six months giving opportunity for formation of a government.
”It is the first time in the history that some politicalparties had told (the Raj Bhavan) to wait till we get the list of supporters and they were given six months time,” Munda said, apparently quoting the JMM leadership calling on Governor Syed Ahmed in the second week of January to seek time for producing the list of supporting MLAs.
Munda, who had led the BJP/JMM/Ajsu/JDU alliance from September 11, 2010, till his resignation, said such actions only dented credibility and led to destruction of various institutions.
Taking strong exception for winding up Ladli Laxmi Yozana during President's rule, which he had introduced during his regime, Munda claimed stopping of such pro-people steps would only lead to atrocities against the women.
Hinting at Congress MLA Sawna Lakra, who is serving a life sentence on a murder charge and taking part in the House proceedings today, Munda urged Speaker C P Singh to ensure the sanctity of the House.
Munda referred to the recent Supreme Court verdict against politicians having criminal background.
Speaking against the motion, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantric) MLA Pradip Kumar Yadav warned Chief Minister Hemant Soren against a possible repeat of events that had landed former Chief Minister Madhu Koda in judicial custody in connection with corruption charges.
Recalling how the Congress supported the erstwhile Koda government from outside and “now it is in the government”, Yadav cautioned Soren referring to the past events.
Yadav also held the BJP responsible for the political instability in the state by twice tying up with the JMM in the same House despite withdrawing the first JMM/BJP government headed by Shibu Soren because the latter voting along with the UPA in the Lok Sabha on a cut motion.
”And only after four months the BJP again joined hands with the JMM to form the government (in 2010),” Yadav added.
He asked Chief Minister Hemant Soren whether he would order probe into the objections he had issued on two policy decisions by the erstwhile Arjun Munda government when he himself was a deputy chief minister in that coalition.
