JMM shows black flags to union minister Tomar

Ruling JMM activists showed black flags twice to Union Steel and Mines Minister Narendra Singh Tomar during his visit to Jharkhand today, two days after Chief Minister Hemant Soren was jeered by BJP men in the presence of Prime Minister at a function in Ranchi.

Tomar was first shown black flags when his convoy was passing through Hinoo Chowk near the Ranchi airport and then outside the Sonari Aerodrum in Jamshedpur, police said.

Activists of BJP and JMM also clashed at Hinoo Chowk during the incident leaving some of them with minor injuries, police said.

There was tension at Sonari as a number of JMM and BJP workers assembled there to protest and to welcome the minister respectively and the East Singhbhum district administration made an elaborate security arrangement.

However, many JMM activists had left the place before arrival of Tomar who was about an hour behind schedule, defusing the tension to a great extent.

The incident came against the background of BJP activists being among those who hooted Chief Minister Hemant Soren when he was speaking in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a function in Ranchi's Dhurwa area on Thursday.

JMM had issued a statement later that day that its activists would protest visits of any central minister to Jharkhand if a public apology was not tendered by the Prime Minister following the "unseemly" act by BJP activists during the chief minister's speech.

Meanwhile, JMM's East Singhbhum district president Ramesh Hansdah said the party's agitation would continue till Modi tenders a public apology.

Meanwhile, the JMM will observe 'black day' in the state tomorrow in protest against the hooting of the chief minister, a Dhanbad report said.

"Black day will be observed by the party in the state as the people of Jharkhand are deeply hurt by the incident," JMM General Secretary Suprio Bhattacharya told reporters after a meeting, where party President Shibu Soren was present, at Dhanbad.

Bhattacharya said party leaders and activists would wear black badge and stage demonstrations in all the 24 districts and block headquarters.

"The incident will be made an issue in the upcoming Assembly elections," Bhattacharya. Addressing the meeting, party supremo Sibu Soren called upon the party workers not to indulge in any incident that might tarnish the party's image among the people.

"Assembly elections are crucial for the JMM as all the regional parties have been wiped out in the Lok Sabha elections," Soren said.