Jharkhand opposition mocks Modi's 'developing' comment

Jharkhand's opposition parties on Saturday mocked Prime Minster Narendra Modi's comment that the state was developing and said the remark was made keeping in mind the upcoming Bihar assembly polls.

Modi, while launching the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA (Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency) programme in Jharkhand's Dumka city and also addressing a rally in Bihar's Banka district on Friday, said: "Jharkhand is developing after the BJP government was formed."

"Modi is master of branding. He is branding Jharkhand to win Bihar poll. Modi should spell out single achievement of Raghubar Das in any field like road, power and health sector which has helped the people of the state," Alok Dubey, Jharkhand Congress general secretary, told IANS.

Dubey said: "In the last nine months, the power situation has worsened. The state capital Ranchi witnesses 10 to 12 hours of power cuts. A power cut also happened a few days ago when the chief minister held a meeting in the secretariat to discuss the power scenario in the state."

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) also questioned the prime minister's remark. "Modi is master of packaging and branding stale things. Modi should look into Ranchi-Jamshedpur national highway which has turned into a death trap," Kunal Sarangi, JMM legislator from Bahragora, told IANS.

"The prime minister should also look into the Bahargora National Highway 33, connecting Jharkhand to Odisha and West Bengal. This highway witnessed traffic dislocation for a record 220 hours last month."

Sarangi said: "We want to know from the prime minister about the parameters on the basis of which Jharkhand stood third in World Bank ratings for the most investor-friendly state."

"Reliance withdrew from Hazaribagh's 4,000 megawatt power plant. Not a single industry is established. Where are the facts and figures that prove the claim that Jharkhand is developing. It is still working on the 2014-15 policy of providing drinking water and repairing tubewells. More than half of the state is facing drought and the state government is doing nothing to help the farmers."