Mahagathbandhan not afraid of Deepak Prakash, Babulal Marandi: Banna Gupta

Congress leader Banna Gupta has said Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) in Jharkhand has rattled the BJP, prompting its leadership to woo people from other parties to strengthen its base in the state.

New Delhi: Congress leader and Jharkhand Health Minister Banna Gupta congratulated, in a sarcastic manner, Deepak Prakash for being appointed as BJP state unit chief and Babulal Marandi as the saffron party's legislative party leader in the state, saying he wish them good luck to strengthen the opposition party in the state, and that Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) was not afraid of them.

"I congratulate them and wish them good luck to strengthen the BJP in Jharkhand," he said, recalling how Babulal Marandi, after leaving the BJP and forming his own political outfit, used to say that he would never go back to the party and rather commit suicide by jumping off from Qutub Minar in case he was to rejoin the BJP.

The BJP had recently lost power in Jharkhand to the JMM-Congress alliance, which prompted party leadership to woo Marandi, who used to be the saffron party leader before quitting it to form a regional outfit, back in its fold.

Gupta said with the fear of Mahagathbandhan, all have come together but the state government would not give them any chance to disrupt its agenda of development.