Ranchi, February 19 Leader of the Opposition Babulal Marandi on Thursday alleged in the Jharkhand assembly that tribal people in the state were facing displacement, and their land was being "looted" in the name of industrial and mining projects under the JMM-led alliance government.
Participating in a discussion on the Motion of Thanks to Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar’s address, Marandi accused the government of promoting corruption and ignoring the plight of farmers and tribal communities.
He claimed that in the Santhal Pargana region, tribal people were being displaced for industrial projects.
Referring to Jasidih in Deoghar district, the senior BJP leader said that farmers were being evicted from agricultural land they had cultivated for years.
"When I spoke to the DC, he said the land had been acquired in 1974. I have no objection to setting up industry, but why on agricultural land? They could have been set up on barren land, which is abundant in the state," the senior BJP leader said.
Marandi also alleged displacement in Amarapara for a coal block, and said that 82 families in the Tisri block of Giridih district were being uprooted by the forest department.
In the Nagri area of Ranchi, tribal agricultural land was being taken for RIMS-2, an extension of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, despite the availability of barren land nearby, he claimed.
Responding to the allegations, state Health Minister Irfan Ansari said the government was constructing a hospital, not a hotel.
Marandi maintained that he was not opposed to the project, but objected to the acquisition of fertile land and urged the Speaker to form an assembly committee to examine such cases.
The BJP leader also alleged that key posts, including those of chief information officers and the Lokayukta, had been lying vacant, the latter since June 2021.
He further questioned the appointment of DGP Tadasha Mishra, alleging violation of rules.
Intervening, Chief Minister Hemant Soren said that the matter was sub judice before the Supreme Court and should not be discussed in the House.
Marandi also alleged that farmers were in distress, as the government was not procuring paddy adequately. He said that against a target of 60 lakh quintals for 2025-26, procurement stood at around 40 per cent. Of 2.84 lakh registered farmers, only 41,205 had sold paddy at procurement centres, he claimed.
Earlier, speaking on the Motion of Thanks, JMM legislator Hemlal Murmu criticised the Centre over mandating the singing of ‘Vande Mataram’ before the national anthem, alleging that it created division in society.
Congress MLA Pradeep Yadav accused the BJP of spreading hatred.