Ex-State Chief Rajesh Thakur Slams Centre in Bokaro
Key Points:
- Congress to Hold Sit-Ins at District Headquarters on August 27
- Rajesh Thakur Warns of Rs 14,000 Crore Annual Loss
- Women’s Honour Scheme Funding at Risk, Party Claims
BOKARO – The Jharkhand unit of the Congress party has announced that it will hold sit-in protests at district headquarters across the state on August 27 against the amended MMDR Bill.
Former state Congress president Rajesh Thakur, who arrived in Bokaro on Tuesday, launched a sharp attack on the central government over the proposed legislation. He described the amended Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Bill as an assault on the Constitution.
Speaking to reporters at the Bokaro Circuit House, Thakur said the bill’s implementation would cause Jharkhand an annual economic loss of nearly Rs 14,000 crore.
He argued that the funds owed to the state would otherwise support welfare programmes such as the Women’s Honour Scheme. Without this revenue, he said, the scheme would suffer and women across the state would bear the brunt of the shortfall.
According to Thakur, the scheme’s benefits are not limited to women aligned with the ruling party. He claimed that women from the families of Bokaro-based and other BJP leaders were also drawing benefits under the programme.
Turning his attack directly on BJP leaders, Thakur challenged them to explain what benefit the state stands to gain from the bill if they insist the amendment serves Jharkhand’s interests. He maintained that the Congress was fully aware of the losses the legislation would inflict on the state.
“Several BJP workers and leaders are quietly extending support to our movement against this bill,” Thakur said, adding that discontent over the amendment extended beyond party lines.
The Congress protest adds to a broader wave of opposition to the mining legislation in the state. Earlier this month, the Congress had staged a separate demonstration against the mineral bill. The JMM had also previously taken to the streets against the mining act, while questions over the bill’s political fallout were raised in a report on Hemant Soren and state politics.
Besides the mining row, the state has also faced separate financial disputes with the Centre recently. Jharkhand’s road infrastructure was hit when the Centre de-sanctioned Rs 10,000 crore worth of road projects, citing reasons that officials said would particularly affect the Kolhan region.
Meanwhile, Congress workers in Gamharia had earlier marked Rajiv Gandhi’s 82nd birth anniversary, an event that drew party cadres together ahead of the planned August 27 demonstrations.
