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Jharkhand tense following delay of statehood bill

Tension is running high in the Jharkhand tribal belt of Bihar, with almost all the political parties threatening to revive their movement for a separate state following delay in introduction of the Jharkhand Vananchal bill in Parliament.

A deadline has been set and protests announced by those for a separate state to press for the early creation of Jharkhand state, comprising the 18 districts of south Bihar.

A few Bhartiya Janata Party MPs and MLAs from Bihar's Jharkhand region have threatened to resign if the legislation seeking the state's creation was not tabled during the current session of Parliament.

The threat was aired by some senior BJP leaders at a meeting held recently. The meeting was presided over by state BJP president Karia Munda. Prominent among others who attended the meeting were party MP Ram Tahalchoudhary and legislators Shanker Choudhary and Duti Pahan.

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha vice-president Suraj Mandal has also threatened to launch a "do or die" agitation if the Jharkhand Vananchal bill failed to come up during the current session of Parliament.

The JMM leader said his party would slap economic blockades and disrupt transportation of minerals and forest products, besides paralysing the functioning of central government offices and public sector undertakings in the area.

Welcoming the seventh extension granted to the Jharkhand Area Autonomous Council, he said it would help keep the pace of development in the region. However, he said, had the Centre formally announced the creation of the Jharkhand/Vananchal state and subsequently brought a legislation in Parliament there would have been no need to further extend the JAAC's tenure. The party strongly favoured a democratically elected body in this region for it's overall development, he said.

Similarly, the Jharkhand Regional Congress Committee has announced its intention to start economic blockades and disrupt movement of natural resources in Jharkhand if the state bill, as promised by the BJP, was not introduced during the Budget session.

The JRCC staged a day-long dharna at the Boat Club in Delhi recently and submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi for early formation of the Jharkhand state.

Smaller political outfits, including the Jharkhand Peoples Party and the All Jharkhand Students Union have also threatened to intensify their struggle for a separate state if the Vananchal bill was not brought up in Parliament.

JPP senior leader Devsharan Bhagat says the Centre was forcing his party to revive its militant stance, while AJSU chief Vimal Kachaap hinted at the possibility of violence in the region if the bill was not tabled.

Rashtriya Janata Dal leaders have also reacted sharply on the reported attempts to defer the separate state bill. Party secretary general Ram Kripal Yadav and Minister of State for Energy Shayam Rajak doubted the BJP's intentions and said their party firmly stood by the resolution on Jharkhand adopted in the Bihar assembly by the state government. The RJD leaders also stressed on the need to adopt positive measures for overall development of the Jharkhand region.

UNI

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