Members of the INDIA bloc have lashed out at the BJP for ‘bullying’ the Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand Mukti Morcha ahead of Lok Sabha elections. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the saffron party of imprisoning opposition leaders to win the upcoming polls while others lauded the INDIA ally’s ‘resilience in the face of adversity’.
“You can intimidate and put everyone in India in jail… You can also put me behind bars, but I will surely come out. The BJP is putting everyone in jail only to win the election,” the TMC supremo told people during a public distribution programme in Nadia district.
Her Tamil Nadu counterpart dubbed the situation ‘outrageous and shameful’. Chief Minister MK Stalin also praised Soren for “refusing to bow down” in spite of the BJP’s “vindictive politics”.
“The arrest of Hon’ble Jharkhand Chief Minister Thiru Hemant Soren is a blatant display of political vendetta by the central BJP government. Using investigative agencies to harass a tribal leader is a new low. This act reeks of desperation and abuse of power. BJP’s dirty tactics won’t silence opposition voices,” he insisted.
“Jharkhand will not bow down! The anti-tribal face of BJP is coming to the fore in Jharkhand…This is an insult to the public opinion of the state. That is why every resident will vote against BJP this time and it will have to face a historic defeat,” said Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.
Meanwhile the Congress linked the matter to its ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra. Senior party leader Jairam Ramesh flagged several recent events — such as Milind Deora’s defection and Nitish Kumar’s return to the NDA fold — to underscore his point.
“BJP’s recent actions, including the arrest of Soren, are blatant attempts to derail the momentum gained by the yatra…These actions reflect the BJP’s underlying fear and confusion. By resorting to such tactics, they seek to suppress opposition voices and undermine the cohesion within the INDIA bloc,” Ramesh said.
The JMM leader was arrested on Wednesday night after a marathon seven hour interrogation by the Enforcement Directorate. He resigned as Chief Minister prior to his arrest, with party loyalist and state Transport Minister Champai Soren taking over the reins.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Published: 01 Feb 2024, 10:51 PM IST
