Parties promise corruption-free government in Jharkhand

By Nityanand Shukla, Ranchi, Nov 22 : Political parties contesting the Jharkhand assembly elections are promising a corruption free government and cheaper food grain to the poor.

The manifestoes of major parties read alike promising to subsidize food to families living below the official Below Poverty Line (BPL).

And with former chief minister Madhu Koda in the dock over serious corruption charges, everyone is promising to stamp out sleaze.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which feels it has a good chance to take power from the staggered elections starting Nov 25, says that money earned through corrupt practices will be seized by the government.

It says it will make the state vigilance more active.

The Congress, on the backfoot over supporting the Koda government for 23 long months, also talks of rooting out corruption.

It has taken a simple, and what it thinks will be an effective, line: In the last nine years there have been five chief ministers. None of them belonged to the Congress. And it was only during President's Rule that an operation was launched to crack down on corruption.

The argument is: Vote for the Congress.

"We will ensure that legislators and ministers declare their assets every year," its manifesto said.

The Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM-P) of former chief minister Babulal Marandi, who has forged an alliance with the Congress, also talks about rooting out corruption. A similar promise has been made by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) of Shibu Soren.

The BJP is trying its best to make the rising prices of essential commodities an election issue.

The BJP has promised rice and wheat at Re.1 a kilo to BPL families and salt at 25 paise a kg. It says a BJP government will give loans to farmers at 2 percent rate and ensure issue of ration cards in three months.

The Congress vows to supply rice and wheat at Rs.3 per kg to BPL families.

The JMM and JVM-P are determined to follow suit.

All the major political parties are also saying that they will keep in mind the interests of the poor who get displaced when their land is taken away for infrastructure and industrial development.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi told a rally in Dhanbad Friday that there will be no displacement without prior rehabilitation.

Displacement -- an official euphemism for loss of homes -- is a major issue in Jharkhand. Nearly a third of its population has been displaced over the years for setting up steel, mining and other companies.

The political parties are also promising to solve the Maoist problem, which has claimed thousands of lives in Jharkhand both before and after it was set up following Bihar's division.