PATNA: The Jharkhand People Party (JPP) has demanded calling of a special session of the Bihar Legislature by the end of this month.

They have asked Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav to fulfill the assurances given by him at the meeting of the Chief Ministers of Bihar West Bengal Orissa and Madhya Pradesh in Delhi on April 4.

JPP Secretary General Surya Singh Besera reminded Yadav of the promise reportedly made to the Union Home Minister that the report of the Committee on Jharkhand Matters (COJM) would be presented in a special session of the Legislature and that the Janata Dal Government would communicate its views to the Center only after that.

Besera alleged that the State Government as well as its ally the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) was only interested in “duping” the voters and exploiting the mineral and forestry products of south Bihar.

The JPP leader was critical of the JMMs lack of commitment to the cause of tribal welfare.

He also accused them of being indifferent to the struggle for a separate Jharkhand State comprising 16 districts of south Bihar three each of the Madhya Pradesh and Orissa and two of West Bengal.

“The economic blockade which lasted only 10 days exposed the apathetic attitude of the JMM After organizing the blockade the JMM has again shifted back to hibernation” said Basera who was in the Patna recently.

The JMM and the JPP have been jockeying for popular support in the Jharkhand region and the JPP has been put on the offensive after the blockade organized by the JMM.

He also demanded that the Chief Minister “honor” his promise so that a resolution “supported by all likeminded parties including the Congress on carving out a separate Jharkhand State” can be ratified by the Legislature.

The JDP secretary-general was surprised that the JMM though one of “the mainstays of this nority Government” had failed get the resolution accepting Jharkhand state labeled by Chief Minister Laloo Yadav during the recently concluded budget session “and leave the ball in the Centers court” Besera added.

Meanwhile the JMM leadership has backed out on its “ultimatum” given to the Janata Dal Chief Minister on the withdrawal of Support by May 31 unless Yadav communicated the Cabinet” opinion on the proposed Jharkhand State or Union Territory to the Union. Krishna Marandi the MP from Chaibasa told news; person recently that the JMM would be free to launch a new agitation after the by elections were over.

In effect the JMM has shifted its deadline from May 31 to mid-June when their Central Committee would be holding its next meeting JMM general secretary Shailendra Mahate has categorically refused to heed the Janata Dal advice of “withdrawing” Tamarah Assembly constituency in favor of the CPI(M).

Narian stressed “Whether Ramat Ram (the new Bihar unit Janata Dal president) requests or the Chief Minister himself does so there cannot be any question of withdrawal.” The JMM leadership was totally opposed to the hostile attitude of the CPI (M) over the formation of a separate Jharkhand State Recently West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu had stated that there was no question of parting with even a block of the two districts Dankura and Parulia since our Governments record was commendable as far as the looking after of tribal was concerned.

Article extracted from this publication >> May 29, 1992