Hemant Soren accuses BJP of conspiring to destabilise the state government

Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren believes Bharatiya Janata Party is active in attempts to topple his government. “Criticism is fine. But attempts to destabilise the Government will not be tolerated,” he has said while reiterating that police would investigate the complaint against BJP state unit chief Deepak Prakash.

Ahead of the byelection in Dumka scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, Prakash had addressed a press conference in which he declared that a new government headed by the BJP would take over in the state in the next two months.

Some experts deemed it to be a violation of the Model Code of Conduct amounting to a veiled threat, enticement, disinformation or intimidation of the voters. But an FIR was lodged against Prakash under various sections of Indian Penal Code including 124 (A) which relates to sedition. Prakash was accused of ‘hatching a conspiracy to destabilise the popularly elected government’.

The senior Congress leader and former MP of the Party, Furkan Ansari and the spokesperson and General Secretary of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Suprio Bhatacharya accompanied Singh to the Dumka Town Police Station for filing the FIR against the State BJP Chief.

Other Sections of IPC referred to in the FIR filed against the BJP Chief are 504, 506, and120B. The FIR was filed by the President of Dumka District Congress Committee, Shyamal Kishore Singh who alleged that this was an attempt to create confusion in the electorate before the bypoll.

The FIR alleges criminal conspiracy, provocation, intimidation and attempting to excite disaffection against an established government, along with 124 (A) dealing with sedition. This Section states, “Whoever, with words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempt to bring into hatred or contempt, or excite or attempt to excite disaffection towards the Government established by law in India shall be punished with imprisonment for life….”. Sedition under IPC is a non-bailable offence.

Dipak Prakash, the State BJP Chief, reacted against the move equally dramatically and dared the JMM-led state Government to arrest him for sedition. He was ready to face the charges and go to jail, he declared.