JMM protests BJP’s ‘Gogo Didi Yojana’; Hemant Soren orders action against poll rule violations

Ranchi: The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has strongly objected to BJP’s ‘Gogo Didi Yojana’, announced on Saturday, which promises Rs 2,100 every month to women if BJP comes to power in Jharkhand.

BJP’s scheme appears to counter Hemant Soren-led government’s ongoing ‘Maiyaan Samman Yojana’.

The BJP has started distributing forms for the ‘Gogo Didi Yojana’ to potential beneficiaries, but the JMM has termed this a violation of Election Commission of India (ECI) rules. JMM leaders have raised the issue publicly, accusing the BJP of disregarding poll regulations and expressing frustration with the ECI’s inaction.

On the social media platform X, the JMM criticized the BJP, questioning whether the party had special privilege to flout the rules, particularly with elections approaching.

Addressing the Election Commission on the social media platform X, JMM wrote, “The BJP is constantly flouting the rules of the Election Commission of India. Does the BJP have special exemption? Even with so much relaxation, the party could get only 240 seats in Lok Sabha polls. The Election Commission says that no form of any kind can be filled, but BJP leaders, turncoats are continuously flouting it and the EC is silent.”

CM Hemant Soren has directed all Deputy Commissioners in the state to strictly enforce EC rules. “All Deputy Commissioners should take cognizance and ensure that all the EC rules are strictly followed. No one in Jharkhand has the freedom to break rules. All Deputy Commissioners should take strict action and report on progress.”

Following the Chief Minister’s directive, several district administrations have issued public notices warning that the ‘Gogo Didi Yojana’ is not a government-run scheme, advising people to disregard misleading advertisements.

Meanwhile, the BJP has dismissed these actions as unconstitutional. BJP state president Babulal Marandi accused the Hemant Soren government of feeling threatened by the growing public support for the BJP and lacking proper legal understanding.

He reiterated that the ‘Gogo Didi Yojana,’ part of the BJP’s broader ‘Panch Pran’ (five vows) initiative, aims to empower women economically and socially. According to Marandi, BJP workers are actively collecting forms to ensure women are benefited from the scheme once the party forms the government.

Marandi further claimed that the JMM-led government is deliberately creating hurdles to block this public welfare initiative, even going so far as to falsely implicate BJP workers in legal cases to discourage them. He vowed that BJP workers would continue their mission undeterred, despite any legal or physical intimidation.

In a defiant message, Marandi declared that he himself would join party members in mobilising women to fill out forms for the ‘Gogo Didi Yojana,’ reaffirming that BJP workers are prepared to face any challenges in their effort to uplift women across Jharkhand.

–IANS