BJP leaders to gherao Assembly on Aug 5, hold rallies in phases

RANCHI: Gearing up for the assembly election, state BJP unit has decided to launch an offensive against the coalition government in state in a phased manner and intensify stir as polls approach.
Senior party leaders convened a meeting at the state headquarters on Sunday and announced to stage a gherao of the assembly during monsoon session on August 5.
Koderma MP and BJP state president Ravindra Rai said there have been an apparent mutual disrespect among the ministers in the coalition government but recently the misunderstandings among the bureaucrats has also come to the fore.
"Top bureaucrats has been issuing candid and adverse remarks against the government and people can very well understand that the chief minister has not just lost control over his cabinet colleagues but also the administrative officers indicating that the state is heading towards complete chaos," he said. Criticising government for summoning monsoon session at a time when it hardly enjoys support of the alliance partners, Rai said that the government is looking for an approval to the supplementary budget.
Rai said that BJP workers from all the blocks of state would assemble at Birsa Chowk to stage a protest march and organise a gherao of the Assembly on August 5 whereas the MLAs would raise the issue on floor of the House the same day.
"Parliamentarians too would apprise the Union government and members in the Lower House by raising the issue of policy paralysis in state and seek intervention of the union government," he said.
The detailed agitation programme was chalked out during the meeting in which national organisation secretary Saudan Singh, state incharge Vinod Pandey, leader of opposition Arjun Munda and senior representatives of different party wings were present.
The state unit also confirmed visit of newly appointed national president of the party Amit Shah on August 24 to formally launch election campaign ahead of the assembly elections. "we are extending invitation to party office bearers from the level of Panchayat to state unit to remain present in the workers meet to be addressed at Morhabadi ground by our party president," Rai said. He also announced formation of a 16-member committee under senior BJP leader Saryu Rai for drafting people's manifesto for BJP to contest the assembly election.
Meanwhile, Ajsu party vice president Praveen Prabhkar and a group of over 100 party workers and Congress ward-level leader Butter Singh Deol joined BJP in a function organised by the state office.