The politics of hide and seek and bus ride that has become a common feature in a few states in the country for some time is now being reenacted in Jharkhand. Its beleaguered Chief Minister Hemant Soren, desperate not to lose his chair, held marathon meetings and even took legislators on a bus and boat ride out of Ranchi in order to keep his flock together.
The Opposition’s hope of challenging the BJP’s growth and taking it on in the general elections of 2024 in a spirited manner got a boost when the Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (U) joined hands with the RJD to oust the BJP from power and formed a new coalition government in Bihar. But, the developments in neighbouring Jharkhand have caused a setback to the credibility of regional parties in providing a clean government. For, the exit of Soren looks almost certain, even if he succeeds in hanging on for the next six months taking advantage of some Constitutional niceties. The uncertainty has been created after the Election Commission recommended the disqualification of Soren as MLA under the Representation of the Peoples Act, 1951. He has been found guilty of misusing his position while allotting a stone mining lease to himself last year. The abuse of power not only smacks of unbridled greed, but dashes to the ground tall claims by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led coalition government to fight corruption and work for the people. The EC’s recommendation has created the prospect of political instability in a state which has witnessed 11 governments in 22 years.
Soren has indeed sunk to a new low by awarding himself a mining lease as Minister for Mines in 2021. The BJP complained to the Governor February 11, 2022, that the granting of the lease violated Section 9(A) of the Representation of the Peoples Act. The Governor referred the complaint to the Election Commission of India (ECI) for its opinion as per legal provisions. Subsequently, ECI wrote to the Governor last week that Soren could be disqualified under Section 9(A). It is sad that he seems to have learnt no lesson from the wrongs done by his father Shibu Soren.
Many today may not remember the utter stupidity of Soren Sr who had deposited a lot of cash in his bank account which he had received to vote for and help the then PV Narasimha Rao led Congress government at the Centre to survive. There is a saying that goes ‘like father, like son’. Hemant Soren committed an equally dumb act of taking a mine in his own name from his own ministry which proved, beyond doubt, his involvement in the sordid deal. There are also two PILs pending against him in the Jharkhand High Court. One of these seeks a probe into the alleged allotment of mining lease for a stone quarry in a 0.88-acre land parcel in the Angara Block of Ranchi and alleged laundering of money via some shell companies reportedly linked to his family members. On June 3, the High Court accepted the maintainability of the PILs. It held that they were perfectly in order. The Chief Minister challenged the High Court order in the Supreme Court and the apex court on August 17 reserved its order, while staying the High Court proceedings. As if this was not enough for the coalition government of Jharkhand, three Jharkhand Congress MLAs were arrested in West Bengal recently with huge amounts of money they had allegedly received to defect.
All these murky developments along with the arrest of a high profile Trinamool Congress Minister of West Bengal in an education scam bring much cheer to the BJP which can be checked only through a combined Opposition formed with regional parties. But, the regional outfits are digging their own graves through their acts of opening laundries and acting stupid.