BJP leaders lodge complaint against Congress MLA Irfan Ansari for casteist remarks, igniting political tension in Adityapur.
JAMSHEDPUR / RANCHI – Controversy has flared in Jharkhand over MLA Irfan Ansari’s statement in Assembly. It had its repercussions in Adityapur too as local BJP leaders filed a formal complaint against Congress MLA Irfan Ansari over a statement deemed casteist.
Ramesh Hansda, a National Working Committee member of the BJP Scheduled Tribe Morcha, expressed his displeasure with the media following the complaint.
He said such distasteful comments from a public representative were highly inappropriate and deeply hurtful to the tribal community.
Many notable district secretaries, including Abhijeet Dutta, Vishu Mahato, Pawan Mahato, Ranjit Sandil, Vishwanath Rana, Anil Mahato, and Gotam Lohra, accompanied Hansda in registering the complaint.
On the other hand, in Ranchi, the national secretary of the BJP, Asha Lakra held a press conference at the state BJP headquarters to address the issue.
She stated that Jharkhand was built on the sacrifices of the tribals and Ansari’s comments display a disdainful attitude towards them.
Lakra claimed the tribal community was deeply affected by his statement and hinted at the presence of anti-tribal sentiments within the Congress party’s DNA itself.
Tensions Simmer in the Assembly
Politics has intensified due to the controversial remarks made by Jamtara’s Congress MLA Irfan Ansari on the tribal society.
The BJP is now demanding an apology from Ansari.
Thursday witnessed a tumultuous fifth day of the monsoon session in the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly, as the opposition caused an uproar both inside and outside the house.
BJP MLAs, in particular, expressed strong disapproval of Ansari’s contentious remarks.
Inside the Assembly, Shashibhushan Mehta, BJP MLA from Panki, warned Ansari to be more careful with his words. Outside the Assembly, BJP MLAs continued to criticize Ansari’s contentious remarks.
However, inside the Assembly, Panki MLA Shashibhushan Mehta advised Irfan Ansari to exercise restraint and warned him that he should apologize to the nation for his comments directed at Hindu and tribal communities.
Verbal Clash in the Monsoon Session
The monsoon session of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly witnessed a dramatic incident when Shashibhushan Mehta, a BJP MLA, ran towards Congress MLA Irfan Ansari in a heated argument.
Many ruling party MLAs, including Ansari, also confronted Mehta in the Well.
The Speaker of the house, Rabindranath Mahato, tried to pacify the MLAs and reproached Mehta for his unbecoming behaviour.
The episode escalated when BJP MLAs staged a protest outside the assembly regarding Irfan Ansari’s comments.
As the proceedings commenced, BJP MLAs entered the well to demand an apology from Ansari. Despite Ansari expressing regret, the BJP MLAs continued to cause an uproar, leading the Speaker to adjourn the session.
The Aftermath of the Clash
Despite the apologies offered by Irfan Ansari and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Alamgir Alam, the BJP continued its protest.
In response, Minister Mithilesh Thakur criticized the BJP, stating that they were attempting to politicize everything and suggested that the BJP should also answer for incidents in Manipur and Madhya Pradesh.
