Former chief minister Babulal Marandi accused the Hemant Soren-led government of having failed the people of the state on development and law and order .

Talking to the media at the house of Dhanbad MP P.N. Singh here on Monday during his two-day visit to the district, Marandi said, “Hemant made tall promises to the electorate during the election and also reiterated the same on the floor of the Assembly after the election. But, during the last one year no development work has taken place in the state.”

“He blocked the release of payments in all departments for the entire tenure,” charged Marandi and added that though it was a fact that there were constraints and lack of liquidity in the market, he blocked payments in areas where payments could have been made easily.

“Majority of the districts are rich in minerals like coal, iron and mica, etc. In such districts the funds of the Mineral Foundation Trust Fund are not being utilized which is affecting the developmental work there,” said Marandi adding that the developmental work has got totally derailed in the state.

“The government has miserably failed on the law and order front as well. Incidents like theft, loot, burglary, dacoity, murder, abduction and ransom demand, extortion demand, threat calls have witnessed a sharp increase,” stated Marandi.

To prove the deterioration of law in the state, Marandi said citing the example of Ranchi that the situation has returned to the era of undivided Bihar when markets used to be closed before 8 pm due to the fear of crimes.

“During the undivided era, the incidents of extortion demand, threat calls and murder, etc. were quite usual in the state capital and almost similar situation of lawlessness has returned in the state during this Hemant Soren government,” claimed Marandi.

“The situation is more or less similar in other parts of the state. In Dhanbad, extortion demands are being made by sending videos through social media and threat calls are being made to traders as well as coal company officers, private miners and even people’s representatives like MLAs,” charged Marandi.

“In the prevailing situation, people have also lost faith in the police and they are desisting from lodging complaint. FIRs are being lodged in case of several incidents and only being lodged after some political or bureaucratic pressure,” said Marandi.

“The maoist influence in the state has also started increasing ever since the Hemant Soren government came into power and some of the maoist leaders who left the state due to police pressure are now returning back,” charged Marnadi and added the situation is such that even the MLA of the ruling party is meeting with Naxal elements without any security.

“Worst is the situation of tribal and oppressed people and particularly the tribal women as the incidents of rape, murder, etc. have increased against them,” claimed Marandi.