Ranchi: The JMM (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha) chief Sibu Soren today (Sep 11, 2004) alleged that BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) had revived old cases to create unrest in Jharkhand, but the saffron party's experiment was scuttled through his peace efforts in the run up to his surrender before a Jamtara court on August 2.

''During Bihar regime, proposal of dropping cases had been raised time to time.... Thereafter the ruling BJP in Jharkhand promised in the Assembly to drop all the cases, but it did not do so to create unrest at an appropriate time,'' Soren told a press conference in Ranchi.

''But I did not allow it (BJP) to carry out its plan. During those surcharged days I interacted with the people in the villages to maintain peace,'' he added.

Soren claimed that the Chief Minister Arjun Munda was under pressure by the party's central leadership after the State Government in the initial days clarified that no arrest warrant was pending against him.

Regretting for being branded as an absconder, he said ''I am not an anti-national...I have never indulged in riots...I respect the judiciary...And I got justice.''

Soren, who on August 2 surrendered before a Jamtara court in connection with the 1975 Chirrudih massacre and secured bail on September 3, had in one month appeared before different courts in Dumka, Godda, Jamshedpur, Jamtara, and Giridih relating to various cases.

This evening he left for New Delhi to appear before the Tishazari court on September 13 in connection with a murder case.