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.

Soren to discuss Maoist menace with Chidambaram

Vijay Deo Jha | Ranchi | Thursday, January 28, 2010

Chief Minister Shibu Soren will hold a crucial meeting with Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Thursday on the problem of Naxalism in Jharkhand.


Source said that the State Government was planning to launch a major operation against Maoists once the 34th National Games is over.


"And the same will be conveyed during the meeting. Nothing will happen before the games and during the monsoon period…operations could be held only after that," a senior officer said.


Soren, who left for New Delhi on Wednesday for the discussion, was accompanied by Deputy Chief Ministers Raghuwar Das and Sudesh Mahato, and DGP Neyaz Ahmed. Sources in the Union Home Ministry said that the meeting will take stock of requirements of the State Government in tackling Naxal problem.


Chidambaram has two such meetings with the Chief Ministers of the Naxal-hit States in the last one fortnight, where the Central Government has planned to start Operation Green hunt to flush out Maoists.


On last Friday, Chidambaram had held meeting with the Chief Ministers Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Maharashtra in Raipur. Though the meeting created a controversy as Jharkhand was left out giving a hint that the Centre was not keen to invite Soren due to his reservation about the anti-Maoist operation.


However, the mist was cleared later by Chidambaram, who clarified that the Jharkhand Chief Minister would be called for a meeting, now scheduled for Thursday. "During the meeting, all issues will be discussed with the Jharkhand Government and the State will be involved in the anti-Maoist operations," Chidambaram had told the media.


Soren and his deputies remained tight lipped to ascertain whether the State has finally agreed for a joint operation against red rebels under Operation Green Hunt with its command centre at Raipur. "We will present our side and understand the view of the Home Minister in the meeting," Deputy Chief Minister Raghuwar Das told the media before leaving for New Delhi.

Sources in the State Government confided that the Government is no position to withstand the pressure of the Central Government, which wants the Jharkhand Government to join the joint operation.

"Though law and order fall under State list, but the State

Government is now ready to resume the operation once again; earlier it was started during the President's rule in Jharkhand. But a mounted assault is not possible in the immediate future. It will take at least one year to prepare including strengthening real-time intelligence gathering," a senior official said.

The statements assumes significance in the background of the claim made by Jharkhand DGP Neyaz Ahmed and Home Secretary JB Tubid at a Press conference a few days ago that 75 per cent preparation for the anti-Maoist operation has already been made.

Well-placed source said that the Government could ask the Centre for six more battalions of Central forces for the operation. Currently, there are a total of 11 battalions of Central Reserve Police posted in Jharkhand.

Later, the Centre had moved four battalion of the Boarder Security Force, which was later shifted to Orissa after the pace of the operation was slackened in Jharkhand.

If it is agreed to carry a joint anti-Naxal operation in Jharkhand, it is expected to be taken in 10 districts spotted by the Centre under a pilot project. "You need another six to seven additional battalions for the operation, out of which at least one battalion must be trained in the jungle warfare," a security expert cautioned.

Nine companies of CRPF are engaged in the anti-Naxal operation on the border of Lohardaga, Latehar and Gumla. A total of 66 companies of the CRPF are deployed in this task.



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