2 JMM MLAs resign from Tribal Council

RANCHI: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) legislators Deepak Birua and Joba Manjhi resigned from the posts of members of the state Tribal Advisory Council (TAC) before Governor Droupadi Murmu against Raghubar Das government's move to amend the Santhal Pargana Tenancy (SPT) and Chotanagpur Tenancy Acts (CNT).
Birua and Manjhi resigned from their posts amid the ongoing winter session of Jharkhand Assembly on Monday saying "they did not want to be a part of the efforts to destroy the lives of tribal communities they are part of".
Speaking to TOI after his resignation, Birua said he acted on "moral grounds and protested against the government's approach to not hear the genuine concerns that relate to the people living in schedule areas".
"The TAC has become a mouthpiece of the government. The government is ignoring the provisions of the Indian Constitution and rules brought about by the Center to amend this Acts," Manjhi said. In its last meeting on November 3, the TAC had approved the amendments to the Acts. Manjhi is the JMM MLA from Manoharpur in West Singbhum.
Birua, who is MLA from Chaibasa, went on to add that there was no emergency situation in the state that could have prompted the Das government to bring the ordinance in a hurry.
The state BJP retorted to the twin resignations. In a written statement, the party said the legislators resigned because "they had no positive solutions and concrete development plans to offer".