RANCHI: Taking a dig on Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) following its decision of not contesting the Bihar assembly elections, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the party of repeatedly changing its stand, calling its approach a series of “political U-turns”.
Making the mockery of the party for repeatedly changing its stand on Bihar polls, BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo on Tuesday said that the JMM has taken so many U-turns in the Bihar elections that it should now be called JMM(U).
Shahdeo further said that JMM’s decision to back out of the Bihar polls exposed its weak position within the Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan) led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress.
“First, JMM demanded 16 seats, then reduced it to 12, later to three and finally decided not to contest at all,” said Shahdeo, further adding, “After so many U-turns, the party should now be called JMM(U).”
According to Shahdeo, this episode clearly shows how the RJD and Congress have humiliated JMM. In this entire episode, Jharkhand’s identity and pride were humiliated at the crossroads of Bihar, he said.
“For a long time, JMM kept pleading for an alliance, but its efforts failed miserably. Senior JMM leaders themselves admitted that RJD and Congress stabbed them in the back, calling the whole episode an act of political deceit,” said BJP Spokesperson.
JMM ministers and general secretaries have announced that they will review their alliance with the Congress and RJD; people of Jharkhand are eagerly waiting for the outcome of this review, he added.
The BJP spokesperson further alleged that the JMM has compromised Jharkhand’s pride for the sake of political survival. “Time will tell whether Chief Minister Hemant Soren, like his father Shibu Soren, can stand up for Jharkhand’s honour — or whether, once again, the JMM will bow before the RJD and Congress to stay in power,” Pratul said.
Earlier on Monday, the JMM leadership accused the RJD and Congress of betrayal over seat-sharing arrangements in Bihar. In its Diwali announcement, JMM declared that it would completely withdraw from the Bihar polls and would review its alliance with RJD and Congress in Jharkhand after the election results.
Party sources claimed the decision was made to “safeguard Jharkhand’s dignity and political identity,” after the allies allegedly sidelined JMM during negotiations.
