Two kilometer walk for water may cost BJP dear

Two-kilometer walk for water may cost BJP dear
Santanu Saraswati
Dumka, May 25—About 10,000 voters from Benagaria, Chorkatta, Kumrabad and Jamdoli village will boycott the polls to protest against the administration’s apathy towards the village. The otherwise pro-BJP villages are hostile towards the Chief Minister, Babulal Marandi, this time. Ironically a decade ago, the former Rashtriya Janata Dal Government declared these villages as “model village”. However, these villages today boast of no electricity, no health center, no good road nor a good tube-well to fill the thirst of the villagers. There are no high schools and the neither roads are tarred. The women of Chorkatta, Nawadi, Kesiabahal, Kumhrabad and Jamdoli village have to trek nearly two kilometer for drawing water from river Mayurakshi. The villagers of Kumhrabad said: “We have written letters after letters to the Chief Ministers and even to the district administration urging them to provide us with at least safe drinking water. But all the letters are kept well inside file tied with a red tape.”According to him, they decided to boycott the poll last week after the sub divisional officer came to inspect their problems but failed to give any concrete assurance. However, he was forced to turn back without visiting the Jamdoli because his car squealed a protest on the bad roads. Jagannath Saha, mukhiya of Kumhrabad village and a leader of the peasant wing of the BJP, said, he was willing to risk his membership of the party but would not cast his vote this time. “I will not cast my ballot. I am fighting for a cause,” he said.Arun Hazra, an unemployed youth of the village said: “Leaders visit the village and give us assurances. Elections over, we do not see them again. I know a vote boycott will not solve our problem, but I will still abstain from voting.” A party youth wing leader, Samar Chatterjee, said he did not attend Chief Minister, Babulal Marandi’s election rally at Asansol. “Neither the Congress attracts me anymore. All of them are the both sides of the same coin. So whom to vote?” he observed. However, the district BJP president, Binod Sharma said some people are inciting them for boycotting the election “with a motive”. He said the villagers had always voted for the party and this time too, will vote for the “Lotus”. EOM. Words: 402Photo Captions: