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Das asks Opposition not to politicise development issues

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Press Trust of India Ranchi
Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das today asked the Opposition not to politicise development matters after former chief minister Hemant Soren picked holes in the state's 2016/17 state Budget.

Replying to the debate over the Budget, Das asked Soren to know the meaning of struggle and poverty before politicising development schemes.

"I alone know the struggle in my life as a mazdoor (labourer). I can't compromise on the interests of the poor as I had seen poverty from close," Das said while replying to the debate.

Taking on the Opposition for repeatedly raking up tribal interests being "compromised due to a non-tribal Chief Minister," Das asked them what welfare works had been done in the last 15 years?
 

For the first time in the history of Jharkhand, the government had tabled an action taken report on its works underlined in the 2015/16 Budget, he said.

He said issues like education, rural irrigation, employment, welfare programmes for the poor in rural areas should be kept away from politics.

Reacting to Opposition criticism of 'Yojana Banao Abhian' (public campaign for creating schemes), Das said even this effort had not gone down well with the Opposition.

He said he has not come to rule, but to work and would work for the people as long he was there.
Das, however, praised Soren and Congress MLA Sukhdeo

Bhagat for apprising the people of the campaign in their respective constituencies.

The Chief Minister said he was working on the pattern of 'village secretariat' in which villagers could prepare their own schemes at their village level.

Das said he had promised the people that he would get rid of middlemen in government schemes and he would fulfil the pledge.

The state has given emphasis on progress of women as village economy has a big role, he said.

Earlier in his speech, Soren alleged a misinformation campaign had been launched that the state could not progress since its creation due to tribal chief ministers and development was going on under a non-tribal chief minister.

He termed the Budget as "soul-less" and said it was "silent" on the landless, the youth, drought and relief measures.

Soren claimed the state's Economic Survey has showed GSDP being doubled in the last 11 years, per capita income doubled in the last 10/12 years, there was drop in poverty by 7.3 per cent, an increase in literacy rate by 14.1 per cent, which were achieved when Jharkhand was under tribal chief ministers.

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First Published: Feb 25 2016 | 12:28 AM IST

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