CPI(ML) Liberation has said the BJP is attempting to restore mafia raj in Jharkhand's coal belt and demanded immediate action against criminal networks patronised by the BJP in Dhanbad. In a statement issued on July 4, CPI(ML) Jharkhand State Secretary Manoj Bhakt said that after the failure of its politics of extortion in Nirsa, the BJP was now trying to spread fear in the region through criminal elements. He said the workers, common people and people's movements of Dhanbad would defeat every attempt to bring back mafia raj.
The party said the Nirsa Elevated Highway project, approved after sustained efforts by the Nirsa Nagarik Samiti and MLA Arup Chatterjee since 2014, has ignored key concerns such as construction quality, pollution control and employment for local youth. Despite repeated protests by local residents and interventions by the MLA, neither the National Highways Authority nor the construction agency has addressed these issues.
CPI(ML) said democratic protests by local people were being met with political pressure and intimidation. It demanded that the Hemant Soren government ensure the security of MLA Arup Chatterjee in view of the ongoing threats against him, while guaranteeing quality construction, pollution control, employment for local youth, and the participation of local residents in the implementation of the project.
The party also demanded a high-level inquiry, under the supervision of a retired judge, into the criminal cases, illegal assets and links with criminal networks involving BJP MP Dhullu Mahato.
Announcing the next phase of the campaign, CPI(ML) said it would launch a mass awareness and youth mobilisation drive across Dhanbad and the coal belt to defeat attempts to restore mafia culture and ensure a fear-free environment for the people.
