Jamshedpur: Jharkhand People's Party
on Tuesday criticised Chief Minister Arjun Munda saying he could
visit a fasting Narendra Modi in far away Gujarat, but he did
not have time to meet local youths of primitive time Sabar
whose fast entered seventh day today demanding jobs.
Sixteen Sabar youths were on indefinite fast since
September 14 in front of East Singhbhum Deputy Commissioner's
office here demanding employment.
The condition of three of them deteriorated and were
taken to hospital yesterday, organisers of the fast said.
Munda went to Ahmedabad to express solidarity with his
Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi yesterday when his three-day
Sadbhavna fast for communal harmony ended.
JPP president Surya Singh Besra met the fasting Sabars
to extend his party's support to them, demanded that Munda
visit them and find out a solution to their "genuine demand".
The Chief Minister's intervention was necessitated as
East Singhbhum district authorities expressed its inability to
meet their demand of job to 155 persons of the tribe, he said
adding the district administration had enlisted 155 Sabar
candidates for employment.
Expressing concern over the health of the fasting
youths, Besra said the primitive tribe was on the verge of
extinction and their population in the district was countable.
Meanwhile, three hunger strikers were hospitalised
yesterday after their condition deteriorated, said Rani
Sabarin, president of Adim-Janjati Kalyan Samity.
Sabrin said the representatives from the district
administration had visited the hunger strikers on September 15
but there was no fruitful discussion.
She said they had raised the issue before the Tribal
Welfare Minister last month and he had assured them to look
into their demand.
Two JMM MLAs had visited the venue yesterday and
assured them to take up the issue with the Chief Minister
soon. JMM is a part of the ruling coalition in Jharkhand.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, September 20, 2011, 19:11