Monday, February 27 2006 15:51 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Jamshedpur: Condemning the economic blockade launched by former union minister Yashwant Sinha at Hazaribagh, opposition Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) today (Feb 27 2006) termed it as a gimmick for 'cheap publicity'.

JMM leader Sudhir Mahato, also leader of the Opposition in Jharkhand assembly, said Sinha and former chief minister Babulal Marandi were apparently more interested in cheap publicity than in the issues they raised.

While Sinha had organised the economic blockade recently, Marandi had expressed his solidarity to it.

Mahato said had Sinha and Marandi been really serious about the issues, they should have raised them in Parliament or taken it up with the president rather than organizing economic blockades, he said.

To a query about parliamentary by-election at Palamu, Mahato said the UPA had decided to put up a consensus candidate for the seat but the candidate was yet to be decided.