IT Dept tightens noose around Koda, conducts nationwide raids

Vijay Deo Jha | Ranchi

RANCHI | Wednesday, February 17, 2010

The Income Tax (IT) Department, on Tuesday, conducted raids at nearly 70 places in 13 States of the country in connection with the money laundering of more than Rs 2,500 crore involving former Chief Minister Madhu Koda and Co. The IT Department conducted raids after a gap of more than three months.

Raids were carried on the premises of Manohar Lal Pal; private secretary of the Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren.

The IT team also conducted raids on the premise of members of the Jharkhand State Electricity Board (JSEB) including SN Choudhary and former chairmen BM Verma, VN Pandey and HB Lal.

Raids continued till late evening. Sources in the IT Department termed the raids as successful. “In comparison with the raids conducted on October 31 last year this time we got clinching evidences of the alleged money laundering and scams in the allocation of mines and rural electrification work in Jharkhand. We have got some more crucial documents and more clinching evidence,” a senior IT officer said requesting anonymity.

The house of retired IAS and former Mines Secretary Jaishankar Tiwari in New Delhi was also raided. Tiwari, was Mines Secretary when Koda was the Chief Minister.

The list included State Pollution Control Board secretary RK Sinha and BB Singh Director Mines. The premises of Sailesh Kumar and Abhisek Rajput in Jamshedpur and Chaibasa were also raided in this connection. Both of them are close associates of Binod Sinha, the right hand of Koda. Sinha has been absconding after similar raids jointly carried by the Income Tax Department and Directorate Enforcement on October 31 last year.

The premises of two other persons Arun Jha and Ajay Jha, close associates of Sinha were raided in Chaibasa.

In Ranchi, a jewellery shop ‘Kuldeep Jewellers’ was raided by the team. Sources in the Department claimed having evidence that a top politician of the State, presently in judicial custody, was the business partner.

Raids were conducted in Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Chaibasa, Patna, Pune and other places.

The houses of Manohar Pal, situated at Kanke in Ranchi and Jamshedpur were also raided. Pal whose house was earlier raided by the CBI last year was top on the list for his dubious connection with Rohitas Krishnan; owner of Quantum Powertek. The company is alleged to have committed vast irregularities in rural electrification work. The IT Department has also been investigating the business connection of Pal with ‘Samridhi Sponge Factory’ where his son Tarun Pal is reported to be on the board of directors.

Krishnan is reported to be absconding. In the last Assembly election the company is alleged to have managed the election fund for the candidates of Koda.

An IT official said that Pal had a deep connection in the mega scam of the rural electrification project in Jharkhand. Sources said that some documents and details of the transactions were recovered during the raids.

Pal is alleged to have used his clout for the appointment of HB Lal as the chairman of JSEB, at the stance of Krishnan, after Soren became the Chief Minister in 2008.

During the raids the IT Department seized vital documents at the premises of these JSEC members indicating fraud in rural electrification work, sources claimed. The IT Department is reported to have raided the premise of a company involved in rural electrification work.

Govt bows down to Maoists’ deadline

Vijay Deo Jha/Parvinder Bhatia | Ranchi/Jamshedpur

RANCHI | Thursday, February 18, 2010

The Jharkhand Police has decided to suspend operation against Naxals in Ghorabandha in Ghatshila to rescue BDO Prashant Kumar Layek. On Wednesday, the police also moved Ghatsila court requesting to reinvestigate the cases of 14 undertrails whose release was set as a pre-condition by the Maoists for the safe release of Layek.

The police acted on the Naxals’ demand a few hours before the deadline given by Maoists ended on Wednesday evening. “We have moved a step further and are hopeful that Layek will be released very soon. The Government is ready to reopen their cases to see whether cases against them are false or true,” said Ranchi-range IG Police Rezi Dundung.

The court agreed to grant permission for the reinvestigation of nine undertrials out of 14, namely Ashwini Murmu, Luso Baske, Arjun Soren, Sukhram Munda, Kafra Mardi, Basanti Patar, Suraj Murmu, Jasmine Mardi and Bahadur Mardi.

Meanwhile, the police are reported to have released the father of Kanhu Munda, a Naxalite. Addressing the media at SDPO office in Ghatshila, Dundung said that the police will review the cases of undertrails and make sure that justice prevails.

The IGP, who also visited these undertrials in Ghatshila sub jail on Wednesday morning, said that during his investigation he had found that police had not been fair in some cases.

He also went on to inform that the operation against the ultras has been temporarily suspended in Ghoragandha in Ghatshila, however forces have been kept ‘as they were’.

The State Government took the decision after it reportedly decided to open political channel for the negotiation.

Well-placed source in the police confided JMM MLA from Ghatsila Ramdas Soren was asked to hold negotiation with the banned outfit CPI(Maoist).

The decision, source said, was taken both at political and administrative levels the day after the BDO was abducted. Although Ramdas Soren refused to comment but added that he was quite concern for the safe release of Layek and he was ready to offer his service if required.

Ramdas is reported to have held at least three rounds of negotiations with the top leaders of the CPI(Maoist) through local operatives. “Political negotiation is one thing. It has nothing to do with what police have been doing against Naxalites. But it is a different case. We have been asked to scale down deployments,” a senior police official said over telephone.

Meanwhile, Maoists allowed the abducted BDO to talk to her wife Juli Bharti over telephone from some undisclosed location. Appealing Maoists to release her husband, she said that her husband was innocent.

Maoists set free abducted BDO

Govt’s assurance does wonders

Vijay Deo Jha / Parvinder Bhat | Gurabandha


FRONT PAGE| NATIONAL| Saturday, February 20, 2010



Shibu Soren wisely opted not to play the Buddhadeb Bhattacharya when it came to accepting the demand of the CPI(Maoist) for a swap.

Seven days of agony of the Layak family ended on a sweet note. Abducted BDO Prashant Kumar Layak was released by the Naxalites on Friday evening under Gurabandha police station in East Singhbhum district.

The Naxalites released him at village Hariyan under Dumaria block of East Singhbhum district in the presence of some mediapersons. Layak was later picked up by the cops and brought to police picket at Ghuda.

Layak, the Dhalbhumgarh BDO, was abducted by the cadre of the CPI(Maoist) on February 13 from his office. The Maoists had demanded the release of 14 Maoist undertrials.

Accordingly, Chief Minister Shibu Soren had held a Press conference a few days back and assured the release of all these people from the jail provided they were innocent. The police on Wednesday moved Ghatsila Court requesting reinvestigation of the cases of these undertrials.

The court agreed to grant permission for reinvestigation of the nine undertrials out of 14, namely Ashwini Murmu, Luso Baske, Arjun Soren, Sukhram Munda, Kafra Mardi, Basanti Patar, Suraj Murmu, Jasmine Mardi and Bahadur Mardi. The police are reported to have released the father of Kanhu Munda, a Naxalite.

“We have released Prashant Kumar Layak from our custody. We had put some demands before the Government, including the release of innocent people who were caught by the State mercenary, read police. The State Government must stop atrocities on the people in the name of Operation Green Hunt…we will act tough if the State Government tries to play some trick once again,” spokesperson of the CPI (Maoist) Rakeshji said over telephone.

The police claimed that the Maoist set free the BDO under intense pressure of the police and the villagers. “It resulted due to the collective effort of the police. We recovered three motorbikes used by the Maoists to abduct Layak and arrested some key suspects…the Maoists were really under intense pressure as the police came close to them,” Navin Kumar Singh, SP Jamshedpur told mediapersons.

But he accepted that State Government’s initiative and the assurance of justice to the people played well. The candid acceptance of Zonal IG Razi Dungdung that police have committed excesses in some of the cases, further paved the way for negotiations.

The Maoists who had insisted on not less than swapping and even threatened to kill the BDO if the demand was not met by Wednesday last finally accepted the contention of the State Government to follow the legal procedure after Soren had amply made it clear.

Well-placed sources in the Government said the Union Home Ministry gave consent for Soren’s offer for swapping of innocent villagers and minors. But it cautioned the State Government to tread cautiously unlike West Bengal Government.

“Under the deal clinched both at official and unofficial level with the Maoists,” sources said, “the State Government has given assurance that the police will keep restraint in the coming days.

Dilemma of different hue, Soren skips Kolkata meeting


Vijay Deo Jha

Ranchi

Caught between ‘Red and Green’ Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren chose to land in hospital instead Kolkata where he was scheduled to attend anti-naxal meeting of the Chief Ministers of four naxal hit states on Tuesday.

But the Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram who chaired the meeting claimed that Jharkhand chief Minister Shibu Soren is on board as far as anti-Naxal operation in naxal hit states are concerned.

“Jharkhand is well on board, and, do not draw unnecessary inference if Soren did not attend the meeting. He failed to attend the meeting due to health reason. His two deputy chief ministers, chief secretary, DG of the police and other senior officials of the state government have attended the meeting.”

Chidambaram pointed out: “Only ten days back Soren spent two hours with me discussing this issue in New Delhi…intra-state operations against Maoists have already been launched in Jharkhand.”

Chidambaram cleared the mist at a press conference on the sideline of anti-naxal meeting in Kolkata. Chidambaram claimed that Jharkhand Chief Minister shares similar concern about the challenges posed by the CPI (Maoist) and other left extremist wing elements.

“We have made considerable progress…in Jharkhand and Orissa regarding anti-naxal operation. We will continue to do this in a ‘controlled and calibrated measure’ with ‘no collateral damage’ to dominate area under Maoist control to ensure the sway of the civil administration and the flow of development,” he said.

“The progress,” he said, “is slow and steady” which he said can not be measured like a cricket match score board.

The meeting while discussing ‘inter-state operations’ between West Bengal and Jharkhand, West Bengal and Orissa also took some crucial strategic decisions which will be operational in the coming days.

Meanwhile, the office of the Chief Minister explained; Soren was all set to attend the meeting which he could not do after he was admitted in the Apollo Hospital in Ranchi due to the health problem. The Deputy Chief Ministers Raghuwar Das and Sudesh Mahato participated in the meeting along with other senior officials.

The Public relation Officer of the Apollo Hospital Javed Akhtar informed that Soren who complained of chest pain was admitted in the hospital. “He (Soren) has been put under observation by a team of doctors headed by Dr. Neeraj Kumar,” he informed.

But inferences were quickly drawn. It was widely taken as a deliberate move of Soren to keep the CPI (Maoist) in good humour. Despite this he agreed to join centrally sponsored Operation Green Hunt against Maoists in Jharkhand.

While Soren in home ministry fashion dangled the carrot and stick before the rebels —negotiation or annihilation —a few week back the CPI (Maoist) leader and second-in-command Koteswar Rao aka Kishenji had asked the Chief Minister not to attend Kolkata meeting if he (Soren) was serious about truce.

“If he (Soren) fashions himself as People’s Chief Minister, and, if he is actually serious about negotiation he should not join the meeting,” media had reported Kishenji as saying.

Kishenji had also said that Soren attending the meeting would be deemed by the CPI (Maoist) as the manifestation of the unwillingness of the state government to hold parley.

Maoists call for bandh against Op Green Hunt

Vijay Deo Jha/Parvinder Bhatia | Ranchi / Jamshedpur
RANCHI | Sunday, February 7, 2010


Close on the heels of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram’s anti-Naxal meeting in Kolkata on February 9, the CPI (Maoists) have given a call for a 72-hour bandh starting from Sunday, across five States — Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal — against Operation Green Hunt. Jharkhand has been put on high alert.

Meanwhile Maoist leader Koteswar Rao aka Kishenji who is second-in-command alleged that innocent tribals were being harassed and arrested in the name of Operation Green Hunt.

He asked Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren to abstain from attending the meeting of the Chief Ministers of four States for anti-Naxal operation scheduled to be held in Kolkata on February 9. “If Soren poses himself as the people’s Chief Minister then he should abstain from attending the meeting which is loaded with anti-people agenda,” he was quoted as saying by PTI.

Kishenji refuted the charges that the Maoists were not ready to hold negotiations with the Government. “You can not do it by pointing a gun and by terrorising people. We are ready to hold negotiations but before it the Centre will have to stop harassing and terrorising innocent people in the name of Operation Green Hunt,” he said.

Intensifying the operation against Naxalites the district police of West Singhbhum in a joint operation with paramilitary forces on Saturday busted a training camp of suspected Maoists. During the operation the police destroyed several transit camps and hideouts, Shabhu Kumar, ASP, operations, West Singhbhum Police claimed.

The district police was on a regular combining operation when the incident took place at Nawagaon in West Singhbhum situated close to the border with Orissa.

The operation was carried out in areas under Gorailkela police station and Bangaon police station in the district.

The joint team during the combing operation spotted a training camp. The police claimed they busted it after a fierce encounter which lasted for an hour, and seized arms cache, uniforms and Naxal literature. No casualty was reported from either side.

Confirming this report DK Pandey IG Operations Jharkhand Police said that it was the largest training camp of Naxalites which can accommodate nearly 300 people for the training. The police also recovered cooked food for nearly 60 Maoist cadre during the operation. “We raided the area only after having convincing reports about the presence of Naxalites in the camp. It is really a major achievement for the police in its fight against the Naxalites,” he said.

The Khunti district police along with CRPF personnel also carried a joint search operation in Rania, confirmed Khunti SP AV Minz. The area is known to be a bastion of Red rebels. In the light of the call for bandh, the Khunti Police have deployed additional forces of the CRPF on a 25 km stretch of the sensitive Khunti-Arki road which is known for the heavy presence of Naxals on its flanks.

Meanwhile the State police have made elaborate security arrangements to meet any challenge during the bandh. Sources in the department claimed that the State police were in regular touch with other State Governments for effective manning of the border areas.

On being asked about the nature of deployment of forces in sensitive areas a senior police official said: “The entire State is sensitive. You cannot have categories like a safe Jharkhand and unsafe Jharkhand. But now we have enough numbers of paramilitary forces to give the Maoists a befitting reply.”

The CRPF, recently shifted a Tripura based battalion to Tamar in Ranchi district to reinforce the 66 battalions of the Central paramilitary forces deployed in the State.

There are five units of Cobra (Commando Battalions for Resolute Action), stationed in Barhi in Hazaribagh. The unit is on the move to familiarise itself with the area especially to Kiriburu in West Singhbhum. Air surveillance will be resorted to keep tab over the movements of Naxalites, official said.

BJP pitches price war against Cong

Vijay Deo Jha | Ranchi

Aday after the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held meeting with the Chief Ministers over price hike in New Delhi, the BJP put out its gloves off and delivered punch on the nose of the Congress at a public rally in Ranchi on Sunday.

“Manmohan Singh’s meeting and his proposal to form the group of the Chief Ministers to control price hike are an attempt to divert the attention of the people for the price hike,” the BJP National General Secretary Mukthar Abbas Naqvi addressed the people during a rally at Harmu Ground on Sunday.

It was a motley crowd of nearly ten thousand which had trekked from different parts of Jharkhand despite a call for 72 hour bandh given by the CPI (Maoist) starting from Sunday

Naqvi accused the Union Agriculture Minister for his irresponsible statements. “Now, Pawar has been advising people to reduce the consumption of sugar and cereals. Why does not he distribute poison to the poor so that they finally get rid of pain and hunger,” he said.

Naqvi continued to tirade the Congress and hit hard at Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party general secretary Rahul Gandhi.

“The only thing that mother and son can do is the promise to write letter to Manmohan Singh to control the price. There job is over,” he said and reminded that he was reminding the Congress not to further aggravate the agony of the people.

People of Jharkhand have been facing scarcity of the LPG gas. Naqvi termed artificial and blamed the Central Congress government for creating scarcity. “It is because the people of Jharkhand rejected the Congress in the Parliamentary and assembly election and the Congress wants to teach the people a lesson,” he said.

Addressing anti-price hike rally the deputy chief minister and former BJP president Raghuwar Das announced to exempt some of the essential food commodities from the perview of Value Added Tax. Blaming the wrong economic policy of the Congress government he alleged that both Prime Minister and Pawar have failed to control the price hike.

The BJP MP from Jamshedpur Arjun Munda announced the party would raise the issue of price hike during the session of the parliament in the coming days.

Easier to draft, tough to execute Green Hunt
Vijay Deo Jha
Ranchi

Pix by Mukesh Bhatt

Police have started a high-voltage PR offensive against Naxalites claiming to wipe out them: it is a prologue to Operation Green Hunt in Jharkhand.

Red rebels reciprocated it with same intensity in form of posters and pamphlets and some time on the web space like one in ajadhind.wordpress.com.

"As Prime Minister stated few months ago that the poverty will be rooted out from the country, we understand that there is an urgent need to eliminate the poor people and operation green hunt is a romantic idea to achieve it."

Those who have fine scripted police pamphlets know that it is easier to draft Operation Green Hunt but it is equally tough to execute it on the ground.

"I am quite optimistic about the success rate of the operation. No doubt para-military forces have been arriving to man strategic posts and many will arrive in the coming days, but, there are several steep degree of difficulties that worries the establishment. " a senior police official said.

For instance Jharkhand can afford only 98 policemen per 100,000 population as under UN norm for minimum police strength against 222 in security-sensitive zone. Though, the former Jharkhand Police DGP VD Ram hesitantly claimed man-police ratio was around 140 when he had demitted the office a month back. Others do not believe it. Reason: the state police force is running in deficiency of around 11000 vacant posts under different cadres which needed to be filled up on an urgent basis.

The state government on Friday last announced to expedite the recruitment. "But that will take another one and half years to turn them into the functioning boot on the grounds," he expressed his reservation.

For instance, there are only one policeman per five square kilometers. And in case of Saranda forest, a liberated Maoist zone, that ratio stands no where: only one policeman per 12 square kilometers.

For instance, the strategists have initially worked out to draft nearly 20 jawans for the frontline and most of them are not familiar with the terrain and people they have been asked to dominate.

For instance, the state government never thought to train the cops in the jungle warfare and the Maoist guerrilla will never engage police and para-military forces on the plain when the real fight will break. Lessons needed to be taken from Chhattisgarh where the Naga Police force despite having expertise in jungle warfare was forced to retreat to its base after three years of operation.
A senior official of the Union Home Ministry tried to assuage the fear by saying: "all the five battalions of the CRPF dispatched to Jharkhand for the operation purposes are specially trained in the jungle warfare."

For instance, if Jharkhand government ever opened a jungle warfare institute in Netarhat on the line of Chhattisgarh based Kanker institute, the Jharkhand government left it in lurch just after its opening. The institute was specially opened to train the cops in jungle warfare to combat Maoist menace.

For instance, nearly 1200 cops received training from that institute but that was not upto the mark. Where these cops have gone, surely not on the strategic fronts. The state police have no answer to that.

For instance, the institute is running without a head. "I do not know who has been posted there after I left for a new assignment in Dumka," senior IPS officer Natrajan who once headed the institute said. Prashant Singh headed the institute for a couple of months after Natrajan. The institute is running without a head now.

For instance, the security forces will be forced to act in wilderness since the state intelligence agencies have not trained itself in real-time intelligence and the human information network is in a shambles.

Only the last year the central government undertook satellite mapping of the jungle of Jharkhand but the thick jungle bases defied that.
Executing Operation Green Hunt is not an easy undertaking, though.

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.



http://www.dailypioneer.com/232167/Soren-to-discuss-Maoist-menace-with-Chidambaram.html

http://epaper.dailypioneer.com/ThePioneer/Pioneer/2010/01/28/index.shtml?ArtId=004_014&Search=Y

Thus died unsung war hero Bari Maa

January 26 Tuesday Ranchi

Picture by Sanjeev Samir

For whom did you fight? Why did you do it? Who do you think you are?

Lily Chakraborty fondly called Bari Maa; probably could not get answers to '3 Ws' till her life. So was her death at the age of 96 on January 3 this year ­— a single column news, no more.

January 8 when the newly elected House of the State Assembly was paying tributes to the veterans; Bari Maa was nowhere in the list. Nevertheless, she fought against the British empire and served jail terms along with her husband; late Hemendranath Chakraborty, a freedom fighter himself.

"Politicians and administrators are not historians and often they suffer memory lapse and they are not expected to remember the contributions of those who sacrificed their lives for the post 1947 generations," said Vinod Viswakarma, a theatre artist of Koderma.
So why they forgot that Lily was a great freedom fighter, accused in Chitegaon Armoury Loot case for which she was arrested for supporting freedom fighters and also served jail terms in the Dhaka and Barisal jails between 1949 and 1953.

Ironically she remained confined in jail in Eastern Pakistan (now Bangladesh) for another six years after India became independent. She became free only after personal intervention of the then President of India Dr. Rajendra Prasad.

People tried to contact Koderma MP Babulal Marandi requesting him to ensure state honour for her. It was the time when state politicians were engaged in the make and break politics of the government formation. Nor the office of the Chief Minister responded to this when they contacted.

She shared same fate of her husband who was even not accorded state honour in undivided Bihar, nevertheless, the West Bengal Government had announced three days mourning when he had died in 1987 after a prolonged illness in Jhumri Tilaiya.

Lily was cremated in Jhumri Tilaiya and the Koderma district administration sent an officer of the rank of the executive magistrate Purnachand Kunkal to place a wreath and finishing off the formality.

Life was not an equal opportunity employer for her and she knew this fact. It was probably the reason she preferred a life in recluse with bronze memento awarded to her husband by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1972.

Not blessed with any child from the past 11 years she had been living with her foster son Suvash Yadav and the memory of her association with Anushilan Samiti and the cause for which the couple relinquished their pleasure of domestic life seven days after their marriage in 1931.

At the ripe age when one's shoulders start dropping and sinking and even refuse to support owns reduced burden, Lily never approached the state or district administration for any support.

Only once she ever wished anything from the district administration. It was her desire to put the name of her husband on the plaque erected on the campus of the block office of Koderma commemorating the names of the freedom fighters of the district. Wish was never granted.

Bari Maa is no more to tell the next Gen the story of the second longest 'fast unto death' of the history of the world; 45 days long, that her husband has pioneered at the dreaded Cellular Jail in the Andamans.

There were only two occasions in a year; Independent Day and Republic Day; when the district administration remembered her to make her sit in the antique box of living freedom fighter at the flag hoisting ground to show its respect.

On this Republic Day Lily will not be available.

Coalition partners slug it out for ‘Home

’Vijay Deo Jha Ranchi


Pix by Malay Kumar

Battle for ‘Home’ is public now. Denial of Home portfolio to the AJSU chief and Deputy Chief Minister, Sudesh Mahato, led to a high-tension political drama on Wednesday. Within a fortnight of assuming power, the coalition partners of Shibu Soren-led NDA-JMM-AJSU Government started facing discord.

Mahato held a five-hour long marathon meeting with his party MLAs on Wednesday. Soren remained adamant and refused to send any of his emissaries to persuade the AJSU to fall in line. BJP State president and deputy Chief Minister Raghuwar Das, however, reached to persuade Mahato on late evening.

Trying to play down the issue, Das termed it a case of misunderstanding among the coalition partners. He hoped: “It will be sorted out within couple of days…we will put this issue before the CM tomorrow for discussion.”
Mahato, who rescheduled the timing of the Press briefing thrice, however, tried to remain tight-lipped over the decision taken during the meeting with his MLAs. Standing along with Das; Mahato was pressed to answer as to why he convened an emergency meeting of the party MLAs day after the allocation of portfolios.
“From a long time we did not sit together. It was an informal meeting, nothing else.” But Mahato dropped enough hint of his displeasure over the non-allocation of Home to him. “I do not think it is a big issue…but promise is promise.” And the promise meant Home to Mahato, the department the young Minister likes the most.
The AJSU has blamed the JMM for not keeping its promise of giving the Home department which it claimed was agreed during the post-poll alliance among the NDA, the JMM and the AJSU party.
Sources present in the AJSU meeting said that Mahato was quite unhappy after Soren also kept the portfolio of mines and geology. In his meeting with Das, Mahato is also reported to have raised objection after one of the ministers from the party quota Uma Kant Rajak got only one portfolio: Labour and Employment.
Soren, during the allocation of portfolios on Tuesday, retained Home. The AJSU having five MLAs in Soren-led NDA-JMM-AJSU Government got three ministerial berths.
Meanwhile Soren justified the allocation of the portfolio. Well-placed sources in the CM House confided Soren having held an emergency meeting this evening. “He is not in the mood to hand over Home to anybody. He is not in the mood to bend further beyond the point. The Chief Minister, so far, has not opened any communication channel with the AJSU. AJSU got a good number of plum departments…what else they want?”
Sources in the JMM said that Soren has been advised to keep Home department with him. JMM’s spin doctors exulted high hope that the controversy would not graduate beyond the media column.
“One cannot rule out the possibility that Soren would ultimately buy peace with the AJSU to save his Government by conceding its demand,” a senior Cabinet Minister said. Soren is quite keen to keep Vigilance and other key departments falling under Home with him. Home will be for the namesake in that case.


http://www.dailypioneer.com/229230/Coalition-partners-slug-it-out-for-‘Home’.html

‘Capital’ superstition gulps Sun in city

Vijay Deo Jha / Shilpi Ranchi Saturday, January 16, 2010

Pix by Malay Kumar

A little past 12.07 pm and the sky became theatre of pure black magic of celestial sun. Sun was no fire ball today. From fire ball to an apple's bite, then a mere half ring and finally into the crescent it had many shapes.

Thin gray cloud curtain dropped many a times, but it was visible in most of the part of Jharkhand with several celestial breaks. Longest ever sun eclipse of this millennium - three and half hours - and the next could be possible only on December 23, 3043 AD. And nobody wanted to miss this rare sight.

Superstition grabbed the minds of the locals for the whole day. "Ah. Devil is trying to devour Sun god. Ominous but beautiful. It will be repeated thousands years later only. Oh do not miss it," Sashikant Tiwari acclaims with mystique note standing on the top of Pahari Temple.
Best high sites of the town Tagore Hill, Pahari Temple and skyrocketing apartments were occupied by rationalist, theist, astrologer, scientist and devotee with their earthy, sophisticated equipments and arguments: seeking science and salvation.

Some were seen at river Swarnarekha standing in the muddy water of the river seeking salvation and watching reflection of solar eclipse on the quivering surface of the water body.
Sun eclipse got an unalloyed infamy - inauspicious evil - when you should not cast an eye on your near and dear, you should remain in home till Rahu and Ketu release the Sun from its custody.
Yet there were thousands men, women, children, old, chased out by a human desire to observe tryst with the devil--first hand--with lips mumbling some mantras. Manoj Mishra priest of Pahari Temple said what sun eclipse of Friday exactly meant. "Evil and propitious at the same time. Today is Mauni Amavasya also. Prayer and chant of mantras is the best antidote to counter ill impact of the eclipse. Even Gods are not immune from it." So was the reason Gods were confined in the safe custody, even Lord Shani, by their earthy guardians on Thursday evening for due precautions and parents too, kept their children inside the homes till the solar eclipse ended.

Pahari Temple of Lord Mahadeva, Jagannathpur Temple of Lord Krishna and all other temples remained close. And those who were there were poor, destitute and leapers to receive doles from the devotees to keep the ill at way. "In form of dole we also take misfortune of the people. We are sons and daughters of God. Solar eclipse does not affect us," a leaper named Binda near the temple of Lord Shani at Gadikhana exhibited another side of the story.

Far from city's hustle-bustle was BIT Mesra. A bay of scientists, professors, and students of Applied Mathematics Department had tilted their sophisticated telescope towards the sky. "Such celestial phenomenon is an opportunity to understand impact on temperature, level of radiation during and after eclipse and the impact on other members of the solar family," said the head of the department NC Mohanti. The entire project was funded by NASA. There are many Mohanti's who did not believe in superstition and infamy attached to solar eclipse. "No harm, you can watch it with due precaution," he said.

It was for the local and national news channel that devoted prime time telecast debate between rationalist and theist over spiritual prophecy and scientific prediction: often stonewalled.

Rationalists' awareness campaign quoting NASA's report had no impact on expected mothers and grandfathers/ mothers. Many of them kept expected mothers away from surgical knife for a Cesarean. "I am praying Lord Hanuman so that my daughter does not suffer from labour pain at least today. I have seen instances when disfigured child has taken birth on the day of solar eclipse," Sumitra Devi standing outside the temple at RIMS said fearfully.

The big show was over by 3.26 pm. Sun emerged insipid yet full-bodied, like the swill of good tea. Life resumed again, people came out of their home, same traffic chaos all around. All back to the business, shops, office, and mundane drudgery.

Temple's doors were cranked opened to offer Gods bath to purify. "Oh. Sun God is back again. Devil has gone," Phulo Devi, 80 years old frail widow heaved a sight of relief. Scientist of BIT and BAU were assessing data.


http://www.dailypioneer.com/229681/‘Capital’-superstition-gulps-Sun-in-city.html

Short-but-shining Sankaranarayanan showed how to deliver

Vijay Deo Jha Ranchi Monday, January 18, 2010

Six months back when he took oath as the Governor of Jharkhand, K Sankaranarayanan had hit the headlines by briefing the media his priorities. Many had doubted him then.

He soon proceeded to dust off the files and put up a “Do Not Disturb” board outside his office. Jharkhand under the President’s Rule had got a new task master.

That remained an unalloyed image of the Sankaranarayanan’s governorship. Skeptic Opposition doubted his appointment as a desperate bid of the Congress to revive the image of the party in Jharkhand and the priorities, he stated, ‘as poll promises”.

However, the Governor was quick to dispel the Opposition’s fears. “I am not here to do politics. If I ever wish I would go to Kerala,” he had said. And when he left he did not leave behind the trail of controversy and muck unlike his immediate predecessor.

“Zero tolerance to corruption,” he said and orders were soon followed. CBI conducted massive raids against Avinash Kumar; former OSD of former Governor Syed Sibtey Razi, Rajesh Kumar; PA of Razi and Health Secretary Pradeep Kumar. Those brazen former ministers of the State Government who never cared for law despite corruption charges were lined up for punishment. Vigilance bureau expedited investigations against them. Ainosh Ekka, Harinarayan Rai and Kamlesh Singh landed in judicial custody. Another Bhanu Pratap Shahi and Bandhu Tirkey are too meek now.

Here was a Governor belonging to a different school of politics: Picked from the Raj Bhavan of Nagaland for the Raj Bhavan of Jharkhand, where the office of the Governor had no more remained the dressing room of virtue.

Administrative accountability, transparency, zero tolerance to the corruption and streamlining of the PDS system and NREGA, he had listed as his priorities. Sankaranarayanan showed the Jharkhand establishment how to work. And soon the poor of the State began to receive 35 kg of food grains through PDS shops.

System left him baffled and he was honest to accept fault. “I was surprised to note that not a grain of PDS sugar had been lifted and distributed since the creation of Jharkhand.”
Nevertheless, some went overboard suspecting that he could not get the feel of the woe of the poor and tribal, because, he did not know Hindi. He could speak either Malyalam or English. Man quoting this was Karia Munda, the Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha. Sankaranarayanan was unabashed in telling that he did not know Hindi. “Can language be a barrier to understand the pain? I know the pain of the people.”

A peaceful Assembly election, and a peaceful accession of Shibu Soren as the head of the NDA-JMM-AJSU post-poll coalition Government in Jharkhand was perhaps the best thing. In Jharkhand where coalition politics and Governments often remained unruly, he never allowed Raj Bhavan to be used as the bed of politics and make and break of coalition. Intention to this, he had announced on the very first day. “I had been in Nagaland where I conducted election free and fair. I promise to do it in Jharkhand.”

But the pitfalls of his regime were obvious and too many. The BJP protested when he said that an elected Government would be in place by the month of January 2010. The BJP interpreted it as a move of the Congress to delay the Assembly election.

One of his zealous advisors TP Sinha ran to church to seek cooperation of the missionaries in food grains distribution. Many doubted Sankaranarayanan’s secular credential and termed it a bid to coax Christian vote banks before the election. The murder of special branch officer Francis Induwal by Maoists put a question over his administration and what he had said a few week back about red rebels. “Naxals do not kill honest officials,” Sankaranarayanan had said to the State officials in a programme at Administrative Training Institute.

A small State, too many contradictions, thousands of problems and no easy solutions, Sankaranarayanan paved some ways, proving how wrong doubters were.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/230031/Short-but-shining-Sankaranarayanan-showed-how-to-deliver.html

PM assures release of Jharkhand’s due

Vijay Deo Jha Ranchi Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has agreed to release a package of Rs 482 crore to Jharkhand. He said this during a meeting with Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren, Deputy Chief Ministers Raghuwar Das and Sudesh Mahato in New Delhi on Monday.

Seeking intervention of the Prime Minister, Soren apprised him of the 12th Finance Commission’s recommendation for the grant of Rs 482 crore to Jharkhand. The State was denied the sanctioned amount on the ground that it didn’t held panchayat election in Jharkhand.
The Chief Minister explained that elections of the panchayat could not be conducted since the matter was pending in the Supreme Court. He assured the Prime Minister that elections would soon be conducted since the apex court has passed its verdict in the case.

Soren contended that Jharkhand was denied funds under the head of BRGF on the same ground, but the fund was later released. He said that the amount is used for the rural development. The Jharkhand Chief Minister requested the Prime Minister to release Rs 482 crore. The Prime Minister assured him to release the amount after consulting the Union Finance Ministry.
In another demand, Soren requested Singh to shift headquarters of CCL to Jharkhand from West Bengal. He said that Jharkhand produced 40 per cent of the total coal but the State does get due benefit since headquarters of the CCL is located outside Jharkhand.

In view of persistent draught in Jharkhand, Soren appealed to the Prime Minister for a special package. The Chief Minister said that the State Government has been trying to provide relief and assistance to the affected people within limited resources. Singh assured the delegation to look into the matter.

Deputy Chief Ministers Raghuwar Das and Sudesh Mahato, CM’s Principal Secretary Sukhdeo Singh and MLA Hemant Soren were the part of the delegation.

Soren also called on former Prime Minister and BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee at his residence and sought his blessings. The leaders later met BJP leader Arun Jaitley.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/230312/PM-assures-release-of-Jharkhand’s-due.html

Party time in BJP but no time for Chintan Baithak

Vijay Deo Jha Ranchi Tuesday, January 19, 2010

It is an ostrich-like BJP, head in sands. The BJP seems to have put a premium over its failure in the State Assembly election. Though, party had formed the Government after joining hands with the JMM and the AJSU; but the party found no time for introspection: Chintan Baithak.

“We have formed the Government but we should sit together to find out reasons behind party’s defeat so that we correct the things,” senior party leader, Saryu Rai told The Pioneer.

Sources in the party said that no meeting of the party took place after the results were declared nor there is any proposal to do so. Raghuwar Das was in hurry to submit his resignation from the post of party’s State president, soon after he joined the Shibu Soren’s Government, as the deputy Chief Minister.

He was also asked to continue in his office till further arrangement was made. Any decision over the appointment of the next president is likely to be taken after two-days meeting of the BJP National Council starting from February 17.

The party is running without a leader since others like Arjun Munda are not stated to be keen to prod the party for introspection. Insiders said that the fissure among party leaders have developed into a major fault-line.

It is because all of them had an equal burden in the poor performance of the party. The party could not retain respectable tally this time. It won only 18 seats, far below from what it had won in the Assembly election in 2005. But the greater part of the story is that sentiments are running high against party’s organisational secretary, Ranjan Patel who has been blamed for party’s discomfiture.

A section of the party has now demanded the removal of Patel, who rather failed to exhibit his organisational skill. Patel is likely to be removed from Jharkhand BJP affairs, sources in the BJP said.

“His performance was below to the expectation of the party. Instead running the party based on the consensus, he patronised factionalism and he remained detached from the party workers more or less and acted as the chief executive officer of the party,” a senior party leader said.

While it is mandatory for an organisational secretary of the BJP to make regular visit of different constituencies and stay with party workers, the system came to an end with Patel. Even during parliamentary and Assembly election, Patel was never seen in the constituencies. He remained confined to his official residence at party headquarter in Ranchi.

The party organisation remained disorganised during the election and different factions remained stonewalled to each others. Patel was hardly available to discipline the party. Sources said that Patel is no more in the good book of the RSS and the organisation on many occasions expressed displeasure over his way of functioning.

Though, the BJP has not started any preliminary investigation of its failure nor the district units have been asked to furnish any report insiders said that allocation of tickets to weak candidates was a prime reason.

For instance, the party was routed in Santhal Pargana while winning only two seats. The party virtually surrendered before the corporate giant and party MP from Godda Nishikant Dubey, who had a major say in the selection of the candidates in Santhal Pargana.
Too many skeletons are tumbling in the cupboards of the BJP.


http://www.dailypioneer.com/230284/Party-time-in-BJP-but-no-time-for-Chintan-Baithak.html

Guruji receives lessons in governance from ex-Guv

Vijay Deo Jha Ranchi Thursday, January 21, 2010


Chief Minister Shibu Soren got tips on good governance from none other than K Sankaranarayanan, the outgoing Governor.

At a farewell function organised at the CM residence, located on Kanke Road on Wednesday, Sankaranarayanan said: “Transparency, accountability and vision for development are the keys to good governance, and I hope the Chief Minister would follow this.”

Soren, who took charge recently, was quick to reciprocate. “Sankaranarayanan is one of the best Governors Jharkhand has ever seen. He commanded respect from all sections. We are unfortunate that his tenure has been cut short. We could have been benefited by his wise advice in running the Government.”

Sankaranarayanan spoke his mind over problems and prospects in Jharkhand. “We need to develop value system…fix accountability. Academic discussions and resolutions are only eyewash in solving the problems.”

He advised Soren to focus on four major areas, including agriculture, rural employment, public distribution system and ensuring responsibilities and accountabilities of the administration towards the public.

“Soren is a seasoned leader and he understand the problems of the masses…the electorates have given him a chance to perform he should utilise it,” he said.

On being asked whether he was satisfied over his performance, Sankaranarayanan said: “Once you become saturate you cease to perform. There is no yardstick of satisfaction. Stating that he got only 85 days to do something for the people he felt no regret. “I tried to perform and set a deadline for others to perform.

People usually take me as a strict person. But I am not that one. I am happy that I was able to render my service to the people.”

He warned that the failure of the administration to reach to the people often results into people losing faith in the Government and administration. For instance, he quoted the failure of the previous Governments in ensuring supply of food grains through PDS shops and irregularities in rural employment schemes.

“One problem begets another set of problems it is precisely true in Jharkhand. I tried to concentrate on the core issues and problems. I got little time to perform. I could not do so many things. But then you have an elected government and I hope Soren will fulfil the expectations of the people,” said the outgoing Governor.

As he left for new assignment as the Governor of Maharashtra, Sankaranarayanan was satisfied that his tenure brought no political controversy in Jharkhand and transition of power remained smooth.

“The moment Soren staked claim to form a Government, I lost no time to invite him. My task was limited. I am happy that my tenure ended on dignified note getting love and respect of the people,” Sankaranarayanan said.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/230826/Guruji-receives-lessons-in-governance-from-ex-Guv.html

Soren left out in CMs meet on Op Green Hunt

Vijay Deo Jha RANCHI Friday, January 22, 2010


The Union Home Ministry has clarified that Jharkhand has not been ignored in the Operation Green Hunt (OGH) in Naxal-hit States.

The clarification came in the wake of the proposed meeting of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram with the Chief Ministers of three Naxal-hit States --- Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Orissa --- which is scheduled to be held in Raipur on Friday. Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren has not invited for the meeting.

It led to the speculation that the Union Home Ministry was quite unwilling to invite Soren for such a crucial meeting on the anti-Maoist operation. This probably happed after Soren precisely hinted at his unwillingness to fall in Centre's ambitious plan to launch mass offensive against Naxals under the Operation Green Hunt.

The office of the Chief Minister woke up late Wednesday night soon after the news of the proposed meeting landed in public domain. Sources in the Government told The Pioneer that Soren rang up to his Principal Secretary to know about the fact.

"Jharkhand has not been ignored if the CM was not called for the meeting," MA Siddique, the senior official of the Ministry told The Pioneer on telephone from New Delhi. He contended that even Bihar, West Bengal Chief Ministers were not invited in this round of meeting.

"The proposed meeting with the Chief Ministers of three States," he said, "was part of the plan of the Centre to review security, and, strategy to control naxalism in these States."

As Jharkhand is affected by Naxal movement, it cannot be ignored in the larger scheme of things. Chidambaram has already visited Jharkhand twice in the past. In the coming days, the minister could hold another meeting with the Chief Ministers of other Naxal-affected States, including Jharkhand," he said. Source in the ministry said another such crucial meeting is likely to be held the next month.

Ministry's spokesperson Kedia declined to reveal any information about the Friday meeting and the non-inclusion of Jharkhand CM. But at least one senior official of the ministry cited two reasons on the condition of anonymity. "Operation Green Hunt has already been started in these three States. We are still waiting for a clear signals from the Jharkhand Government …it is quite confusing right now. It is one of the most important meetings where the decision about the timing of the precision attack on Naxals based on intelligence input could be taken," he said.

This meeting, he said, is region and area specific. "And in case of a big operation like OGH it will be necessary for effective manning of the porous boarders to stop the flight of the Naxals from one State to another. The IB in its report to the Central has warned that the Naxal having rat like mobility can sneak in Jharkhand in case of a massive hunt. Jharkhand shares a vast stretch of boundary with Chhattisgarh and Orissa and it is quite likely that Chidambaram's new concert against Naxalism would run in peril.

"There is no point to involve Jharkhand in review meeting of ongoing operation. The State Government has already expressed its view against OGH. But Jharkhand will certainly be consulted and all logistic supports will be provided once the state government is prepared to start operation against naxalism," officer said.

He gave the example of Orissa, a key Naxalite-affected State. Orissa has recently joined Chidambaram's war against Naxal after it had politely begged off the joint security operations, stating its police force is currently not up to the challenge.

Is Jharkhand ready to be the hunting ground of Operation Green Hunt? While Chidambaram during a media briefing two days back asked Soren to give clear instructions to the State police to start operations against Naxals, Soren continued to emit confusing signals. But State DGP Neyaz Ahmed told The Pioneer: "We are preparing for major operation against Naxals. Major operation means Operation Green Hunt."

Soren falls in PC line over Green Hunt

Vijay Deo Jha Ranchi 23 January, 2010

Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren sought to throw off the notion that he was opposed to the Operation Green Hunt in Jharkhand.

“I am not opposed to Centre’s plan of anti-Maoist offensive. I am not against Operation Green Hunt. The operation is being carried on in Jharkhand,” Soren said on Friday.

However, at the same time he recommended peace initiatives with Naxals. “I again ask Naxals to abjure killing of innocent people and come forward for dialogue. We want to know about their demands.”

The media also wanted to know from Soren as to why he was not invited in the meeting of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram with Chief Ministers of Naxal-hit States like Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, in Raipur on Friday. “It was a coordination meeting between three States and the involvement of Jharkhand was not required. Jharkhand has been called in another meeting scheduled to be held next month,” Soren claimed.

It was confirmed by Chidambaram on the sideline of the meeting in Raipur. “There is a new Government in Jharkhand. The Chief Minister and other senior officials are coming to Delhi on January 28 to meet me on the Naxalite issue,” Chidambaram informed the media.

Top mandarins, including DGP Neyaz Ahmed and Home Secretary JB Tubid, held a joint Press conference on Friday afternoon and took time to explain that the State Government was not dragging its feet behind in anti-Naxal operations. Though they refused to christen it as Operation Green Hunt, but claimed that the Government has been making all strategic arrangements and a joint operation could be launched.

But they refused to announce a date or a timeline to anti-Naxalite offensive, or even calling it one.

If that is true then Chidambaram’ got political endorsement for his anti-Naxal operation from Soren, who rather feared that any such mass offensive in Jharkhand under Centre’s supervision and monitoring might entail collateral damage to his core tribal constituency.

One of the senior officers of the Union Home Ministry who is coordinating anti-Naxalite operations informed that the Home Department (Jharkhand) has already been asked about the logistic support two months back through an official communiqué. “We are not in the position to disclose any thing. But we got the reply. If the operation gets off from its initial phase it will be free of any jurisdictional constraints and allow real-time cross-border monitoring,” he said.

Détente for Home: Soren meets Mahato
Vijay Deo Jha


When a film actor says that he is looking for a good script that means he is out of the market. And when a minister claims that he is not obsessed with a particular department; it means he is not getting this.

When the deputy Chief Minister and AJSU Chief Sudesh Mahato said that he never demanded Home portfolio it became instantly clear that his pressure tactics failed to impress upon the Chief Minister Shibu Soren to give Home to him (Mahato).

Not happy over the allocation of portfolios specially when Soren kept Home Department with him, Mahato on Wednesday held in-camera meeting with three other AJSU MLAs. It led to a stand-off between Soren and Mahato.

It took three breezy hours of Soren on Thursday morning to convince his deputy Chief Minister to drop his demand. All it happened at Mahato's Kanke residence where Soren made a surprised visit along with his son and MLA Hemant Soren without blaring chief ministerial cavalcades.

With fine morning tea, two bowls of custard and some tilkuts dispute was resolved. Soren emerged from the negotiation room along with Mahato and termed it a courtesy visit on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. "There is no dispute. People want us to perform, we must ensure that we work for the promises we made, that will be our main task," Soren said to the media.

Mahato also aired peace-making note denying that he ever demanded Home portfolio for himself. "I am not one who demanded Home…and I am not dying for that. Who gets what is the prerogative of the Chief Minister. My sole concern is how to run the government based on a Common Minimum Programme (CPM). CM has assured me to form a committee very soon comprising coalition partners"

Sources both in the AJSU and the JMM confided that Soren struck a tactical deal with Mahato. "Instead Home, Mahato is likely to be allotted the department of Rural Development. Soren had an elaborate discussion over it. Besides it there might be a minor adjustment in the departments to keep Mahato happy. But please note it is not at the cost of Home ," a close confidant of Soren said.

Though official sources were quite unable to testify the deal, it was party sources that had field day. Parley between Soren and Mahato continued for three hours and sources quoted Mahato as saying that the AJSU must get an honourable position in the government. Mahato is reported to have submitted a list of demands which Soren assured to look into in the coming days.

The BJP is the major alliance partner in Soren led NDA-JMM-AJSU government where Raghuwar Das holds the position of Deputy Chief Minister. Das on Wednesday persuaded Mahato to relinquish his tough stands over Home and others. He offered his mediation between Soren and Mahato which bore result this morning when Soren made unscheduled visit.

BJP insiders said that the party was not in favour of supporting Mahato's war for Home. "If you are the Home Minister that means you are number two in the government. If Mahato is elevated as the Home Minister that will automatically reduce the BJP as the junior most alliance partner in the government despite having 18 MLAs," a senior BJP leader said.

He ended with note of caution that if the CM is denied Home portfolio it really sends a wrong signal among the public.

For time being the State Government got respite. But the JMM is wary over growing demand of the AJSU. "G5 has resurfaced in the state politics again…we need to search friends and allies politically and personally if this government is to continue," a senior JMM leader said.

Miss their voice

Vijay Deo Jha Ranchi

The Assembly Hall will not resonate with authoritative voice of those who commanded statistics and figures on their finger tips duringassembly debate. It is because some of them got defeated in the recently held State Assembly election while some of them moved to bigger arena:parliament.

Former assembly Speaker Inder Singh Namdhari, BJP fire brand Saryu Rai and Arjun Munda, former JD (U) leader Radhakrishna Kishore, former finance minister Stephen Marandi are not the part of the third Jharkhand State Assembly the session to which starts from tomorrow.

Both Namdhari and Munda got elected during the parliamentary elections from Palamu and Jamshedpur respectively while Rai, Kishore and Marandi became the victim of voters' backlash irrespective of their contribution in forcing three successive governments to be accountable. If the House will miss them it is because they spoke against their owngovernment.

For instance the BJP government was forced to abandon ambitious Bhagirathi Irrigation Projects involving initial seed money of Rs 10 crore after Kishore raised the issue of the drainage of public money on the name of this project on the floor of the House. Both Rai and Kishore were on the forefront to raise the issue of alleged irregularities in awarding contract to the Meinhardt Singapore Private Limited involving the minister of their own government Raghuwar Das.

In a newly elected House of 81 the first timer commands the majority after 61 sitting MLAs lost the election. "I will suggest them to at least know the assembly proceedings…attend assembly session and take part in the debate the job for which they have been elected," Namdhari wished them. The composition of the last assembly was a curious and baffling mixture of veteran and novice. Nevertheless, "fact remained a majority of MLAs had no knowledge of planned and non-planned expenditure and among them there was the tendency to escape the debate right from the first day of the session," Kishore recollected the fact.

In the last assembly there was a time when all most 98 per cent ordinance and bill tabled by the government passed without the Opposition brining any amendment to that. If the records of proceedings of the House are seen Kishore and Rai were on the forefront of brining maximum amendments to the bill while sitting in the Opposition. Nobody in the Opposition even cared for brining cut motion during the budget motion. "Rai took this initiative and I joined him in grilling the government by brining cut motion and forcing the treasury benchfor a full debate over the budget and the expenditure," Kishore said.

December 2008 budget session: The finance minister Marandi's repeated application of the kerchief to his brow during his 20-minute answer of supplementary questions over the budget asked by Namdhari, Arjun Munda, Rai and Kishore determined their role as the Opposition. His forehead was constantly dehydrating, his hands constantly reaching out for repair and re-hydration. And he was not able to explain as to how he would be able spend the rest 70 per cent of the budgetary allocation of more than Rs 2500 crore in three months before the end of the financial year.

"Ye chamatakar to sirf aap hi kar sakte hai mantriji," (only you can do this miracle minister). The man clad in white attire--Namdhari--had the last word over minister's white lie. Namdhari many called 'headmaster' was a monster among the ministers that coexisted with his saintly look till he remained the Speaker. Namdhari often encouraged the 'silent brigade' in the House to break their Maun Vrata (observance of silence). They included Saurabh Narayan Singh, Gopal Sharan Nath Shahdeo, Israel Ansari, Thomas Hansda, Kunti Singh etc who were the part of 'non-speakers club. There was foul mouth brigade to drag the debate down to the gutter.

Though missing, it is preserved in the proceedings that will soon be archived.