Christian MLA grumbles
Vijay Deo Jha | Ranchi
Chief Minister Shibu Soren has been accused of not playing Santa for Christians and upper castes during the expansion of his Cabinet.
Out of 12 Ministers in the Cabinet filled-up from the JMM, BJP and AJSU quota except Christian and forward community all social classes have been accommodated very well. It led to a verbal feud in the JMM, which is still in the murmuring phase with the BJP where a score of party leaders are surprised at non-representation of the forward class.
The decision came to an open criticism in the JMM—blunt and bold. “Since I am Christian I was denied a berth in the Cabinet,” senior JMM MLA Simon Marandi said. He went on to paint the JMM as anti-Christian by stating that JMM ousted Stephen Marandi and even denied ticket to a Christian to accommodate Hemlal Murmu in this Assembly election.
BJP MLA Satyanand Jha Batul adopted a mild tone to air his resentment. “I fear it will give other parties an edge over the BJP in Santhal Pargana after upper caste was kept out of Cabinet expansion.”
Meanwhile, the JMM’s trouble shooters have started trying to barricade any steps that Simon Marandi might take in the coming days. Party leader Hemant Soren met Marandi last day at his residence to resolve the dispute.
Senior JMM leaders remained tightlipped and circumspect over the whole issue, but few are convinced that it is not possible for the party to keep everybody happy where all want to be Minister.
It will be for the first time when Christian community found no slot in the Cabinet. Those lobbying for Christian cause received covert support from senior JMM Christian leader Nalin Soren who happened to be to the Agriculture Minister in the past two Governments; denied opportunity this time.
Littipara MLA Marandi obliquely blamed the BJP for the absence of any Christian face in the Ministry. He said it in a different way: “Guruji is playing in the hands of the BJP now.”
The BJP defended that it had any hand behind non-inclusion of any Christian face and said that it was Chief Minister’s prerogative to select his team.
Take a look at the social composition of the Cabinet. Tribal got four berths including that of the Chief Minister. The Schedule Castes got enough representation in form of Umakant Rajak, Sudha Chaudhary and Baidyanath Ram. Two deputy Chief Minister Raghuwar Das and Sudesh Kumar Mahato and two others Chandra Prakash Chaudhary and Mathura Mahato represent dominate OBC class. The JMM picked one Muslim face Haji Hussain Ansari to make the Cabinet a composite one.
But the picture remained half complete since the Cabinet goes beyond the representation of the forward and Christian community having sizable number of voters.
Nevertheless, MLAs belonging to the forward group has no sizable number in both the parties but there are few seats which they managed to retain. Jharia (BJP), Ranchi (BJP), Nala (BJP), Sarath (JMM) and Jamtara (JMM) are the constituencies where Kunti Singh, CP Singh, Satyanand Jha Batul, Sheshank Sekhar Bhokta and Vishu Bahiya won respectively.
A lobby in the BJP complained that the claim of the forward block was ignored during second expansion of the Cabinet. The lobby pointed at Raghuwar Das for allegedly casting caste spine in the BJP after he assumed the post of the party president.
Das faction shook-off the allegation as baseless and referred CP Singh who was elevated form the post of the Speaker. But Singh’s supporters were not content with this ceremonial post. They were keen to see their leader as the Minister.
The JMM did not offer any explanation for non-inclusion of any forward face except saying that Vishu Bhaiya was not physically fit to discharge ministerial responsibility and Bhokta did not figure in the wish list. The Cabinet expansion is over grumblers are still holding meetings.
Vijay Deo Jha | Ranchi
Chief Minister Shibu Soren has been accused of not playing Santa for Christians and upper castes during the expansion of his Cabinet.
Out of 12 Ministers in the Cabinet filled-up from the JMM, BJP and AJSU quota except Christian and forward community all social classes have been accommodated very well. It led to a verbal feud in the JMM, which is still in the murmuring phase with the BJP where a score of party leaders are surprised at non-representation of the forward class.
The decision came to an open criticism in the JMM—blunt and bold. “Since I am Christian I was denied a berth in the Cabinet,” senior JMM MLA Simon Marandi said. He went on to paint the JMM as anti-Christian by stating that JMM ousted Stephen Marandi and even denied ticket to a Christian to accommodate Hemlal Murmu in this Assembly election.
BJP MLA Satyanand Jha Batul adopted a mild tone to air his resentment. “I fear it will give other parties an edge over the BJP in Santhal Pargana after upper caste was kept out of Cabinet expansion.”
Meanwhile, the JMM’s trouble shooters have started trying to barricade any steps that Simon Marandi might take in the coming days. Party leader Hemant Soren met Marandi last day at his residence to resolve the dispute.
Senior JMM leaders remained tightlipped and circumspect over the whole issue, but few are convinced that it is not possible for the party to keep everybody happy where all want to be Minister.
It will be for the first time when Christian community found no slot in the Cabinet. Those lobbying for Christian cause received covert support from senior JMM Christian leader Nalin Soren who happened to be to the Agriculture Minister in the past two Governments; denied opportunity this time.
Littipara MLA Marandi obliquely blamed the BJP for the absence of any Christian face in the Ministry. He said it in a different way: “Guruji is playing in the hands of the BJP now.”
The BJP defended that it had any hand behind non-inclusion of any Christian face and said that it was Chief Minister’s prerogative to select his team.
Take a look at the social composition of the Cabinet. Tribal got four berths including that of the Chief Minister. The Schedule Castes got enough representation in form of Umakant Rajak, Sudha Chaudhary and Baidyanath Ram. Two deputy Chief Minister Raghuwar Das and Sudesh Kumar Mahato and two others Chandra Prakash Chaudhary and Mathura Mahato represent dominate OBC class. The JMM picked one Muslim face Haji Hussain Ansari to make the Cabinet a composite one.
But the picture remained half complete since the Cabinet goes beyond the representation of the forward and Christian community having sizable number of voters.
Nevertheless, MLAs belonging to the forward group has no sizable number in both the parties but there are few seats which they managed to retain. Jharia (BJP), Ranchi (BJP), Nala (BJP), Sarath (JMM) and Jamtara (JMM) are the constituencies where Kunti Singh, CP Singh, Satyanand Jha Batul, Sheshank Sekhar Bhokta and Vishu Bahiya won respectively.
A lobby in the BJP complained that the claim of the forward block was ignored during second expansion of the Cabinet. The lobby pointed at Raghuwar Das for allegedly casting caste spine in the BJP after he assumed the post of the party president.
Das faction shook-off the allegation as baseless and referred CP Singh who was elevated form the post of the Speaker. But Singh’s supporters were not content with this ceremonial post. They were keen to see their leader as the Minister.
The JMM did not offer any explanation for non-inclusion of any forward face except saying that Vishu Bhaiya was not physically fit to discharge ministerial responsibility and Bhokta did not figure in the wish list. The Cabinet expansion is over grumblers are still holding meetings.
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