He knows his fate

Next LS election to decide Munda's fate

Vijay Deo Jha Ranchi Monday, September 8, 2008

The next parliamentary elections in Jharkhand would be crucial in deciding the political fate of many of the BJP celebrities particularly the former Chief Minister and present Leader of Opposition in Jharkhand Assembly, Arjun Munda.

The BJP central high command is learnt to have advised Munda either to perform or perish. According to sources, BJP could probably decide the issue of party leadership in Jharkhand after the performance of Munda in the next parliamentary elections. Notably, the central high command seems to have adopted stick and carrot policy.

The Munda camp, which pins its hopes that its leader would be able to manage a respective tally for the party in the next LS poll, feel that the former has been asked to make a big political sortie with clipped wings as the central leadership has still not clarified its stand on the issue of leadership nor it gave Munda free hand to decide the strategy for the poll that includes the selections of the candidates.

The party sources said that the central high command categorically wanted Munda to manage victory of the party in 12 parliamentary constituencies.

The revelation has come along with the fact that the central high command of the party is reported to be serious about taking some decisions about Jharkhand BJP after the month of November. The revelation might place Munda on an unstable political turf as the so-called crucial decision, as the sources indicated, is nothing but a fresh move to negotiate with Babulal Marandi, the former BJP leader and bete-noir of Munda. Marandi, who on several occasions ruled out that he ever desired to make a come back in BJP could find patronage of Lal Krishna Advani if the move materialises. But a section of the central leadership is learnt to be not in this favour.

Though the party hopes to bag at least 12 parliamentary seats in the State, a section of party leaders have started questioning the claim stating that Marandi with his growing presence would scuttle the plan of the party. Accordingly the detractors of Munda in the party have tried to convince the central high command that it would be difficult for the State BJP to win the seats without taking Marandi in BJP fold.

A senior party leader closely watching the move hinted that the central high command was not ready to give Munda a free hand hence the party stalwart has the limited option. However the BJP is yet to decide the name of the candidates for LS poll as the Munda camp is learnt to have asked for a greater say in the distribution of party ticket if the party wanted a respective tally in the State.

It is learnt that the central BJP could not afford to field both Marandi and Munda in the State politics at the same time fearing rebellion by the supporters of Munda. The possibility of the party mulling over a third option- Karia Munda replacing Arjun Munda might not be ruled out . On the whole issue, the Munda camp reacted by saying that the central BJP was preparing the draft of another political hara-kiri by inducting Marandi.