The BJP on Tuesday held protests in all 264 block offices in Jharkhand, accusing the state government of failing on multiple fronts, including corruption, administrative collapse, and negligence of rural and tribal issues. The party termed the protest an “Aakrosh Pradarshan” and submitted memorandums across the state highlighting what it called the core grievances of the people.
The protests were led by senior leaders, including state BJP President and Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi, Working President Dr Ravindra Kumar Rai, former Chief Minister Champai Soren, Rajya Sabha MP Aditya Sahu, former Leader of Opposition Amar Bauri, and MLAs, MPs, and other party officials.
Babulal Marandi led the protest in Tesri and Gawan blocks of Giridih district. Addressing the gathering, he alleged that the Hemant Soren government had not made any policy or implementation changes in its second term. He said that despite announcements and claims, basic services and schemes had not reached the poor and marginalised.
He said that sand was being extracted from rivers and transported by outsiders while villagers faced restrictions and police action when trying to procure sand for housing. He said that in some cases, officials were taking bribes of up to ₹25,000 for processing housing scheme applications.
He urged the villagers to demand sand from police stations if their tractors were seized, and said that if the demands were not met, people should prepare for agitation. He said he would participate in such actions if necessary.
He alleged that land documents were not being processed without bribes and that poor people were losing their land to encroachments. He said block hospitals lacked doctors, medicines, and ambulances, pushing villagers to seek treatment in distant cities. He also said that the state had failed to create a system for intermediate education after the New Education Policy shifted the responsibility away from universities. He said students were now left without proper options for enrolment.
On the issue of employment, Marandi said vacancies were not being filled and jobs were allegedly being sold. He claimed that local youth were not getting protection in employment, and outsiders were securing government positions.
Marandi said the crime situation in the state had worsened and that incidents of murder, robbery, and sexual violence were going unchecked. He said farmers had been misled on paddy procurement. While the state announced ₹3,200 per quintal as the support price, the actual purchase was done at ₹2,400 per quintal. Of this, he said, only ₹100 was the state’s contribution, the rest coming from the Centre. He said even those payments had not been made to farmers.
He said the BJP would continue to raise these issues if the government did not act. He warned that future protests could target police stations, district offices, and other state institutions.
Party leaders and workers in different districts also raised local concerns. In some areas, slogans were raised against the state’s handling of the PESA law, while in others, farmers and youth presented their demands. Memorandums were submitted at all block offices.
BJP leaders said this was just the beginning, not a one-day protest. They said the party would intensify its agitation if the government failed to respond.