Even as war of words has escalated between the Chief Minister Hemant Soren led JMM and the opposition BJP leaders on “ Kite and Crow…” barb,the Election Commission of India is yet to respond to the state’s government’s letter against the saffron party. 

The state government led by the CM Soren has urged the ECI to ask Union Home Minister Amit Shah to issue an advisory to Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma to stop “instigating communal tension” using official machinery in the state for “narrow political gains” ahead of assembly elections. 

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Both Sarma and Chouhan are the BJP’s state unit poll- incharge.They have been touring Jharkhand and, in their apparent move to craft strategies for the upcoming Assembly polls by end of 2024.

In other words, the Hemant Soren led government asked the chief election commissioner to advise Shah “not to allow the misuse of the official position of CM, Assam and the state official machinery at the expense of public exchequer for political gains and desist from direct interference in internal affairs of the state in blatant violation of constitutional norms”. 

It has also told the ECI accusing the BJP of attempting to "scare the administrative and police officers" to deter them from taking punitive actions against actions of state BJP leaders that create “communal disturbance and tension in the area by influencing religious passions and creating communal disturbances”. 

The government cited examples of removal of officials from election duty ahead of 2024 general elections and termed it a “systematic and well-planned attack on the bureaucracy and police”. 

Such actions have led to "a widespread feeling of fear and demoralisation in the rank and file" of officers, the letter alleged. 

Alongside, the CM Soren, while addressing a public meeting organised to implement the Savitri Phule Kishori Smridhi Yojna in Saraikela,took a dig at the BJP leaders such as Chouhan( from MP) and Sarma( Assam), saying,”Kite and Crow were hovering around; Need of the hour is to remain vigilant.” 

In quick reply, minutes after landing at the airport in Ranchi Wednesday, Shivraj Singh Chouhan countered , saying that “ Jharkhand is being scratched and swallowed by the ruling party in the form of Kite and Crow.” 

Union Minster Shivraj Singh Chouhan also said as follows. 

Jharkhand is the land where “ mountains of cash money were recovered.”

“The plight of Adivasi girls and deteriorating law and order are not hidden.No body is secured.The government functionaries were eating sand and minerals. The central government’s funds meant for Jal Jiwan Mission were sent, but the fund did not reach the beneficiaries. For five years, no job was provided.And now when the polls were around, they were made to run for 10-10 km. The youths were dying.The demography of the whole state was changed. This is dangerous. During the past five years, the state government did not fulfil one promise made before the poll in 2019. The party ( JMM) had promised to provide Rs 2000 as “ Chulha Kharch”( Cooking pot charge). Now, Rs 1000 was being delivered at a time when the polls were around.”