Dhanbad, February 4. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has once again launched a strong verbal attack on the central government over the outstanding amount of Rs 1 lakh 36 thousand crore in lieu of coal royalty and coal mine land.
Addressing a public meeting organized on the 53rd foundation day of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) at the Golf Ground in Dhanbad on Tuesday, he said that if the central government does not pay the outstanding amount soon, then we will not back down from legal action. If needed, coal mines can also be closed for the rights of this state. If we come to our own devices, the country can sink into darkness.
Soren said that we will recover the price of the coal that has been extracted by tearing the chest of our earth. We Jharkhandis know that if the rights are not obtained by asking, then they are obtained by snatching them. The companies should return the land of the mines from which coal mining has been completed in the state. We are getting to know that the central government is trying to take ownership of the land of such mines. We will not let this happen. These are our lands, and we will get them back.
Without naming the Bharatiya Janata Party, Soren said that these people ruled Jharkhand for 18-20 years, but instead of progressing the state, they took it towards misery. During the tenure of the double engine government, people started dying of hunger here. Ultimately, we fought for the interests of Jharkhandis and ousted them from power in 2019.
Accusing the Center of step-motherly treatment towards Jharkhand, the Chief Minister said that even though the budget presented three days ago is of more than Rs 50 lakh crore, nothing has been given to Jharkhand in it. Elections are to be held in states like Delhi and Bihar, so big announcements have been made for there.
Soren gave a strict warning to the officials in the public meeting about the culture of corruption and brokerage in the offices of BDOs and COs across the state. He said that we are keeping an eye on such officials. Such officers should improve, otherwise we will terminate their jobs and send them to jail.
A large number of people from various districts including Dhanbad gathered with drums and bows and arrows in the JMM foundation day program. Many leaders including party leader and MLA Kalpana Soren addressed the public meeting.
