Pakur(Jharkhand): Coming down heavily on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for 'deliberately' delaying the oath of JMM leader Champai Soren as Jharkhand Chief Minister, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "This is the politics of destabilisation." Ramesh also hit out at the BJP on the contentious MNREGA.
"The Governor delayed the swearing-in ceremony. Champai Soren has become the CM, and a cabinet will be formed. First, they (the BJP) split Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, and then Nitish Kumar was forced into a U-turn in Bihar. Now, ED and CBI have been unleashed on Hemant Soren in Jharkhand. This is the politics of destabilisation. The BJP is baffled with the Bharat Jodo Yatra and INDIA Alliance," the Congress General Secretary said.
Meanwhile, Champai Soren took oath as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand at the Raj Bhavan in Ranchi on Friday. He will face the floor test on February 5. The alliance is confident of passing the test. JMM leader Manoj Pandey said, "INDIA Alliance is united. We have more than 48 MLAs with us. All our MLAs will be present, and we will pass the Floor Test easily. Despite all attempts, despite Delhi, Gujarat, and Ranchi coming together, the INDIA Alliance remained intact. Hemant Soren is a Member too, he will also come (for the Floor Test). So, I don't think there is any problem. I consider this just a formality."
Jairam Ramesh also played down all the speculations of revolt within the Congress state unit after MLA Irfan Ansari's remark and said "It's not like that." Amid the Jharkhand turmoil, Irfan Ansari said that if a few ministers are repeated, there can be revolt within the party, and the leadership must think.
The Jharkhand Legislative Assembly Session will be held on February 5 and February 6. The Champai Soren-led coalition government in Jharkhand is likely to go through a floor test on February 5. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' on Friday entered Jharkhand and alleged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attempted to topple the Jharkhand government, adding that the people of the state stood against their "conspiracy."
In Jharkhand, the BJP tried its best to topple the people's elected government. But you fought this conspiracy of the BJP boldly. Heartfelt thanks for your cooperation! We are not afraid of the BJP," Rahul Gandhi said addressing a gathering in Jharkhand on Friday. In the 81-member Jharkhand assembly, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has 29, its ally the Congress has 17 seats; while the RJD and the CPI (ML) have 1 seat each. With the support of 43 MLAs, the INDIA bloc has the numbers to sail through a floor test.
Talking about MNREGA, Jairam wrote on X, "Mahatma Gandhi Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) was one of the main promises of our manifesto for the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. We fulfilled this promise within a year, passing the law in 2005 and implementing it in early 2006. This scheme has proved to be a game changer for rural India. Research over the last 18 years shows that it has increased rural incomes, reduced poverty and hunger, and has proven to be most beneficial for women and SC/ST/OBC workers. This gives respect to the workers because, under this, employment is given as a right and not as a 'rewari', as the Prime Minister used to say."
Jairam further added, "Narendra Modi has a long track record of insulting MNREGA workers. He says that this only makes the poor dig holes. Perhaps they don't realize that with their hard work, MNREGA workers are contributing to India's development – they are building irrigation tanks, roads, canals, forests, dams, and much more. In 2015, PM Modi said he would keep MNREGA alive as a 'living monument' of Congress's failures. But they might have realized its value during the Covid lockdown when MNREGA helped crores of workers across India earn a living with an income of over Rs 1 lakh crore."
The Congress MP focused on its party leader and said, "Rahul Gandhi has said that labor justice is a core part of the vision of the Congress Party and an integral part of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. We will continue to fight for the rights of India's workers, who are constantly working to strengthen this country."
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