Gujarat voters mature, will re-elect BJP in Assembly polls: Raghubar Das

Dumka: Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das today said Gujarat voters are mature and so the BJP is ruling there for 22 years and expressed hope that the party will also win the Assembly elections in the western state. The Congress, he said, would be swept away both in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. Results of the Assembly polls of the two states will be declared on 18 December. Das told a press conference here that BJP candidates have been elected in the Uttar Pradesh civic polls with the people giving their approval to development and shunning casteism and communalism. [caption id=“attachment_4045557” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Raghubar Das. PTI[/caption] The BJP on 1 December last won 14 of the 16 mayoral seats in Uttar Pradesh and the elections were touted as the first litmus test of Yogi Adityanath after the BJP stormed to power in March. The people had elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014 on the issue of development, ending casteism, dynastic rule and communalism, Das told a press conference. “The entire country has accepted our leadership,” Das said. The Jharkhand chief minister said Congress was no more the Congress as it was during the time of Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel and Subhas Chandra Bose. “The Gujarat-born Mahatma Gandhi had wanted to dismantle the Congress party after Independence. Therefore, how can the Congress grow in Gujarat?” Das asked. Speaking on Jharkhand, the chief minister said the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) was not required anymore in the state. The JMM was floated by AK Roy, Binod Bihari Mahato and Shibu Soren for a separate state. Since Jharkhand was formed in 2000 by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the JMM is not required now, Das said. Speaking on developing tourism in the state, Das said Mandro in Sahibganj would be developed as a tourist spot besides three hills in Rajmahal hills would be developed as ‘Krishna Pahad’ by the ISKCON. Maluti and Massanjore in the Santhal Pargana region were also being developed as tourist spots and work was on at Rajarappa temple and Parasnath. Tourism would increase the footfall of visitors and generate employment in the state, the chief minister said.