Thaindian News

Ranchi, June 28 (IANS) The Arjun Munda government in Jharkhand is busy campaigning for the Lok Sabha by-poll in Jamshedpur resulting in development work coming to a standstill, alleges the opposition.

The July 1 by-election is important not just for Chief Minister Munda of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but also the two deputy chief ministers — Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s Hemant Soren and All Jharkhand Students Union’s (AJSU) Sudesh Mahto.

“The entire government is busy in the by-poll. The chief minister and deputy chief ministers as well as other ministers have left the people to fend for themselves. Development work has come to a standstill and no file work is taking place in the secretariat,” Shailesh Sinha, Jharkhand Congress spokesperson, told IANS.

The by-poll is a prestigious issue for Munda, who vacated the Jamshedpur seat after he was elected to the state assembly in February this year. The BJP has fielded state president Dineshwanand Goswami.

Munda, who has been camping in Jamshedpur since June 22, is focusing his attention on the steel township because his position within the party also depends on the results, say analysts.

The election comes amid a demolition drive executed on the directive of the high court, an issue that his detractors in the party had raised before party president Nitin Gadkari.

Soren, son of JMM chief Shibu Soren, has also been in Jamshedpur for the last one week to campaign for his party’s candidate, former deputy chief minister Sudhir Mahto.

And AJSU’s Sudesh Mahto is also busy campaigning for his party’s nominee Astik Mahto.

Rubbishing allegations that the government was neglecting work priorities, JMM leader and state cooperative affairs minister Haji Hussain Ansari said: “No file is pending and important work is going on.”