Verbal volleys fly between opposition and ruling benches over corruption charges

Ranchi: The second day of the Monsoon Session of the Jharkhand Assembly was high on drama as both the opposition and the ruling benches leveling charges of allegations against each other and also the open challenge to one another demanding that the allegations leveled against them should be proved to be true.

As soon as the house assembled for the day Leader of Opposition Hemant Soren accused cabinet minister of the state government of taking bribe and MLAs beating up the officials. He said that when opposition MLAs do so they lose the membership of the house but on the other hands these people continue to remain ministers. He said that Health Minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi was shown in a video openly accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000 which later also went viral but no action was taken on him.

On the other hand, a BJP MLA which beat up a government official no action was taken against him and on these matters, the Leader of the House should give reply in the house. 

Senior JMM MLA Stephen Marandi said that when allegations are leveled against the minister than it brings a bad name for the entire cabinet and the state. His comments drew sharp response from the MLAs of the ruling benches and Chief whip of the BJP Radha Krishna Kishore said that unless there is sufficient proof one can not level allegations in the house and can also not seek an explanation from the minister. He said that even on Hemant Soren there are allegations of land grabbing and he should also clarify his stand on them. 

Replying back Mr Soren said that an SIT was formed against him which was later dissolved. He demanded that the state government should keep the report of the SIT in the house and if allegations against him are proved to be true then he himself will ply the bulldozer but the Chief Minister must reply on the issue involving the ministers and cabinet. 

On the other hand, Health Minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi who was in the eye of the controversy himself said that if the allegations of him taking a bribe of Rs 15,000 are proved to be true then he will resign from his post or else those who have put the allegations should resign. He said that the matter raised by the leader of the opposition is not acceptable.

The minister said that he had gone in the village to lay foundation stones for projects worth Rs 1 crore during which members of the Rajwar community said that they were building a ‘chabutra’ and needed Rs 50,000 for its construction over which he asked his bodyguard to give Rs 15,000 to the people and said that whenever they collect the money they can keep the Rs 35,000 to them and give him back Rs 15,000.

He said that the entire video has been edited to show him in a bad image. Mr Chandravanshi said that he had only helped the villagers and not sold Jharkhand in Delhi after which the JMM MLAs stormed into the well of the house demanding a reply from the Chief Minister over the issue.