Hidden agenda behind 130th Constitution Amendment Bill, no logic for its introduction: Jharkhand CM

Ranchi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday hit out at the BJP-led central government over the 130th Constitution Amendment Bill, claiming that there was a "big hidden agenda" behind its introduction.

Soren said he failed to understand why the bill, which seeks to remove ministers from their posts in the eventuality of a jail term of 30 days or more, was tabled in Parliament.

"There is a big hidden agenda behind the Constitution Amendment Bill, which we are not able to fathom... But, this will be clear in future," he said in the assembly during the last day of the monsoon session.

He also accused the BJP government of removing lakhs of voters in Bihar with the help of the Election Commission, and claimed that those opposing the Centre and its policies were being framed in false cases by agencies like the ED, CBI and the I-T department.

"The Centre frames laws granting immunity to the CEC and ECs from any legal action for decisions taken while in office, which is nowhere in the world," Soren said.

Half of the country's population is made to believe BJP's propaganda, he said and alleged that in the name of tribals, only “propaganda politics” was underway.

Soren also referred to the unveiling of multi-crore projects by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the anniversary of tribal icon Birsa Munda from Khunti, saying “the results are yet to come”.

"We had invited President Droupadi Murmu for Birsa Munda's anniversary programme, but that was declined, and instead, the PM unveiled several projects for upliftment of tribals on the occasion... however, nothing translated into reality," he said.

"The prime minister is busy monitoring mines auction in Jharkhand, while tribals reel under acute poverty and suffer from various deformities due to excavation of minerals like uranium here," the CM claimed.

Jharkhand contributes to the development of the country, but receives the "Centre's apathy in return", he said.

"The coal and minerals from Jharkhand illuminate metropolises like Delhi and Mumbai, but tribals here are in in pathetic condition," he said.

Soren said his state was “paying a huge price for the development of the country and its billionaires”, as Jharkhand “fell victim to the Centre's conspiracy”.

He also said that he was skeptical about the Centre conferring posthumous Bharat Ratna on JMM founder Shibu Soren, who died on August 4 at the age of 81.

"The assembly here passed a unanimous resolution for conferring Bharat Ratna on Shibu Soren and to send the proposal to the Centre... but they never do what they preach," he said.

"I am skeptical whether they will bestow the highest civilian award on Shibu Soren, seeing the manner in which they treat those who do good work," Soren said, citing the example of Ladakh-based climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, for whom people were demanding a padma award, but had to “face the wrath and his Himalayan institute is being bulldozed”.

The chief minister said he believed in justice delivered in the "people's court", branding the BJP as “a bunch of thugs, working on the Gujarat model”.