By IANS,
Ranchi : Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda might not attend the Oct 21 Jan Chetna rally here to be addressed by senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani, whose yatra otherwise gives the state a miss.
A press statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) says Munda will leave Oct 15 to participate in the “India Show” in Toronto, Canada, and a business meet in New York, US. He will be returning only on Oct 23.
“As per the schedule, Munda will be in New York Oct 21. Munda’s trip has two parts. He will be in Toronto till Oct 19 and in New York from Oct 21 to Oct 23,” a source in the CMO told IANS.
“If needed, he (Munda) could skip the New York business submit to attend Advani’s Jan Chentna rally,” the source added.
Advani’s Jan Chetna yatra, which began from neighboring Bihar Tuesday, will not be travelling through Jharkhand. The omission has led to many speculations in the state.
Political experts say that Advani was opposed to the BJP forming a government in Jharkhand with support of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) last September. He had also not attended Munda’s swearing-in.
The other reason is said to be bad roads of Jharkhand.
However, state BJP chief Dineshanand Goswami denies the speculation and said it was due to lack of time.
“Advani’s rath yatra has to be completed in 40 days and his rath yatra is skipping many states,” Goswami told IANS.