Soren calm, son cries bureaucratic highhandedness 

VIJAY DEO JHA

RANCHI

They say it takes two to tango. But the dance of the polity was a shade out of step on Wednesday, when Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s father and son sang differing tunes. While a magnanimous JMM chief Shibu Soren exhorted party-men to extend complete support to the coalition Government, his son seemed more weighed down by the more pragmatic compulsions of bureaucracy.

A day before when Soren is supposed to preside the meeting of State Coordination Committee (SCC) as chairman to review performance of coalition government, he summoned meeting of party’s core committee as well as district presidents to gauge their mood about coalition government headed by BJP.

“He (senior) was of the view that the performance of the government should be critically reviewed keeping in mind limitations and odds that the government has been facing in matter of governance. He accepted government need to improve on its performance in certain key areas. He rather advised that any note of dissent or disapproval over the functioning of the government should not cross beyond certain decibel,” a senior JMM functionary said.

Soren was critically high and jarring in his note and sounded like a monarch who is overshadowed, rather crippled by bureaucracy in matter of governance in both the meetings. Hemant Soren, party sources said, was critical about bureaucracy during the meeting of JMM’s minister saying that a particular bureaucratic circle seems to be allergic towards suggestions coming from the JMM’s fold about governance and they are critical and conspiratorial towards departments under the control of the JMM in the government.

Junior Soren was termed the coalition government being shoved and shuttled in different directions by the coalition partners: BJP, JMM, AJSU and JD (U). “He did not refer any particular case to suggest this. He was just giving certain outline of the situation. He indicated communication gap coming in the way of taking a collective decision,” sources said.

Hemant and his party critically differ with the BJP and CM over Nagari land row where CM has refused to buzz under the pressure of the JMM which wanted the government to return land to its owners.

Junior Soren speaking against bureaucracy is an old signature tune which he repeatedly announced from the public platform. But the JMM insiders confided that father gave some useful tips to son to tame-in the bureaucracy.  “He (Soren) advised Hemant against such serial cry and bemoaning in public. He (Hemant) by this way is exposing his own administrative and political incompetence which he should not. JMM is equally responsible if the government is labeled as under achiever,” sources said.

At this moment both JMM and BJP are seems to be in competing clamour to take credit of some of successful the welfare projects started by the government. But the JMM feels the BJP has smartly taken credits to these even ignoring the right claim of JMM.

About Thursday meeting of Coordination Committee; Soren may press for a united effort besides asking government to rein-in the bureaucracy. But at least on one policy decision of the state government Soren decided to defer. A few months back, state government formed a panel to indentify people who took part in separate Jharkhand movement. The government will give them monthly pension on the line of Bihar which started pension plan for the people who had taken part in Jayprakash Narayan led movement during 70s.

“We don’t have problem with panel. We have objection that district and block officials have been asked to prepare the list. The government should have asked political parties involved in that movement to furnish ground list of such people. We beg to defer here. We have formed a committee of the party in this regard,” Soren said after the meeting.

But those who know Soren don’t offer any guarantee that Soren will not cry hoarse against the government on Thursday.