Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Babulal Marandi has asked the Jharkhand government to allot new bulletproof vehicles to the state’s former chief minister, complaining that the 13-year-old vehicle allotted to him was unreliable and breaks down repeatedly.
Marandi, who was the state’s first chief minister from December 2000 to March 2022, said Jharkhand’s home department bought 17 new bulletproof vehicles in 2024. Of these, three were allotted to the chief minister, two to Raj Bhavan, and 12 were kept in reserve at police headquarters.
In a letter to the chief minister Hemant Soren, Marandi said he was surrendering his old vehicle to the state government and asked for a new one.
Even after that, the complaint remained unresolved. He asked Soren to direct the home department to take possession of the vehicle and acknowledge it in writing. Marandi said he wasn’t the only one and former chief minister Arjun Munda’s office has sent six letters on the condition of his security vehicles between July 2024 and June 2026. “He (Munda) also stated that on 14 March 2026, the Home Department had directed that necessary action be taken. On the night of 6 November, one of the vehicles in his convoy was involved in an accident near Chaouka,” he said.
“Why are former chief ministers not being provided safe vehicles despite 17 new bulletproof vehicles being purchased in December 2024?” the leader of the Opposition in the state assembly said, asking who had blocked the replacement of old vehicles assigned to former chief ministers. “I have decided to return, with due respect, the 13-year-old bulletproof vehicle provided for my security, which repeatedly breaks down,” Marandi said.
