Ranchi: Opposition members in the Jharkhand Assembly on Thursday demanded action against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Satyanand Bhokta for allegedly seeking the support of Maoists to help his wife win in the panchayat polls.
A local newspaper has published a conversation between former minister Bhokta and Maoist leader Ajay Ganju. Bhokta allegedly gave a few phone numbers to the rebel leader, asking him to threaten them.
Raising the issue, Janardhan Paswan, a Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) legislator from Chatra district, said: "My name also figures in the list of people whose mobile number was given to the Maoist leader. I should be provided more security cover."
Vinod Singh, a Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (CPI-ML) legislator, said: "This is a serious issue and the state government should clear its stand over the issue."
KN Tripathy, a Congress legislator, said: "If action will not be taken against the ex minister, then it will send a wrong message to the police."
Panchayat polls were held in the state in November.
IANS
