Padyatra Begins in Ranchi as BJP Targets State Law and Order

Ranchi, November 2: The Bharatiya Janata Party's Jharkhand unit on Monday launched its 'Save Democracy, End Anarchy' padyatra from the capital, Ranchi. The campaign highlighted the importance of safeguarding constitutional institutions and democratic order nationwide, and it also sharply criticised the state's ruling government over deteriorating law and order, administrative shortcomings and women's insecurity. The party further reaffirmed its resolve to make people aware of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across the state.

The yatra commenced at Bapu Vatika, located at Morabadi Ground in Ranchi. Earlier, senior BJP leaders and workers paid homage at the statue of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi. The march proceeded past the SSP residence and Kachahri Chowk before concluding at the Bhagwan Birsa Munda Smriti Udyan at Jail Mor.

Central Minister Jual Oram directly confronted the Congress and Rahul Gandhi, asserting that the opposition should revisit the 1975 Emergency before questioning constitutional bodies. He accused the Congress of continually raising questions about EVMs, the Election Commission and the Supreme Court out of frustration over repeated electoral setbacks, calling this conduct extremely unfortunate.

BJP state president Aditya Sahu attacked the ruling alliance, saying the Congress and its partners were engaged in misleading the public with the false 'vote theft' narrative. He cited the Gamharia police station case from Saraikela-Kharsawan district, in which a woman who had gone to a police station seeking justice was allegedly raped by policemen, to illustrate the grim situation of law and order. He sarcastically added that the state's daughters and sisters were unsafe while the Chief Minister remained busy at an opposition alliance rally in Delhi.

Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi said the ruling government and the Congress were together trying to create an environment of lawlessness in Jharkhand. He called on party workers to take the government's anti-people policies and failures to the masses. Former Union Ministers Arjun Munda and state in-charge Gajendra Singh Patel asserted that the opposition, gripped by despair after electoral defeats, was intent on weakening the constitutional framework.

The padyatra was joined by state in-charge Gajendra Singh Patel, Arjun Munda, state general secretary Manoj Singh, organisation general secretary Pawan Soe and a large number of party office-bearers and workers. Participants carried placards and banners relating to SIR, illegal infiltration and state development, displaying slogans such as 'SIR is an excuse, the aim is to protect infiltrators' and 'Stop toying with the people's mandate.'

The party has announced that padyatras will be organised in two phases until November 5 across all major districts, including Giridih, Hazaribagh, Palamu, Jamshedpur and Dumka, reaching up to the assembly level.