Ghumla, Sep 21: The Ghumla District Congress Committee on Monday criticised the Centre over the amended Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act and alleged irregularities in donations collected in the name of the Ram Temple.
Addressing a press conference at the district circuit house, state Congress spokesperson Ujjwal Prakash Tiwari and JPCC media panelist Rajiv Narayan Prasad raised concerns over the rights of states over their mineral resources.
Tiwari said the people of Jharkhand have a constitutional claim over the state’s land, water, forests and mineral resources. He argued that seeking greater rights over minerals was a matter of constitutional entitlement and not a demand for charity.
He further alleged that Jharkhand bears the consequences of displacement and environmental damage associated with mining while contributing significantly to the country’s mineral economy.
The Congress leaders alleged that amendments to the MMDR framework could reduce the powers and financial rights of states. They said the party would oppose what they described as the curtailment of state rights both inside Parliament and through public movements.
Prasad, meanwhile, called for greater transparency in the utilisation of donations collected for the Ram Temple. He said contributors had donated in the name of their faith and sought a clear public account of how the funds were being used.
The Congress leaders also called for an independent examination of financial transactions related to the donations.
The party announced plans to stage a demonstration at Lok Bhavan on September 26 and said a phased agitation would be organised at the block level.
The leaders also demanded that revenue generated from Jharkhand’s mineral resources be used for the state’s development and public welfare.
District Congress president Rajnil Tigga, Azad Ansari, Rohit Vicky, Shahjahan Ansari, Jai Singh, Ghulam Sarwar, Mohammad Minhaj, Amit Kumar and other party workers were present at the press conference.
