I would rather die than return to BJP: Marandi

JAMSHEDPUR: Ruling out any possibility of going back to the BJP, former Jharkhand Chief Minister Babulal Marandi said he would rather die than return to the saffron party.

"There is no question of me returning to BJP. I would rather die than go back (to BJP)", the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha president said while addressing a series of meetings last night in support of party candidate from Jamshedpur Lok Sabha seat Arvind Kumar Singh.

Marandi addressed six election meetings in East Singhbhum district including in rural pockets of Potka, Baharagora and Musaboni.

"If JVM secures all the 14 seats in Jharkhand, the people of the state would decide who would be the next Prime Minister of the country," the JVM leader said at two meetings at Aambagan in Sakchi and minority-dominated Zakirnagar in Mango here last night.

Slamming the UPA government for keeping the state assembly under suspended animation, Marandi also pulled up BJP for not tendering resignation of MLAs in support of dissolution of the assembly.

Taking a dig at Madhu Koda, Marandi wondered how people of the state could have faith on a former chief minister who could not develop a 45-km stretch of Baraiburu-Noamundi Road in his own assembly constituency.