Spate of serial slaughter of the opposition governments by the ruling BJP has of course slowed down but the operation lotus continues to dictate the saffron establishment. Hemant Soren led coalition government in Jharkhand which barely a month back was the prime target for the serial slaughter once again features on the agenda. The only difference is the buying price for a law maker which was then around Rs 10crore has shot to Rs 20 crore. The bidders are frantically trying to break the JMM rank with no shortage of ill-gotten money at their command.
The serial chopping might have acquired substantial momentum, but it is the engagement of the killers in their manoeuvring in Bihar that has forced them to delay the operation. A group of at least 12 ragdolls have descended in Bihar with the sleuths of ED and CBI to destabilise the Nitish government. Interestingly they swung into action on the day Nitish was seeking the confidence of the house.
Only a week back some senior BJP leaders from Delhi had descended in Ranchi and made personal contacts with some gullible legislators. Of course, they could not succeed in their mission to inflict a chink in Hemant’s rank, but they raised the heat.
Even Hemant Soren recently dropped the hint that BJP could resort to any mischief to gain power. The BJP leaders are desperate to dislodge him from the power as the party is deprived of the corporate benefits the state BJP leaders should have got once, they helped them to get their feet. Already some of the giant corporate agencies, like Adani, have started their operations in the state, but the corporates’ desire to have the Tribal Land Tenancy Act completely revoked is not taking place. This has been creating obstacles in their path for expansion.
Jharkhand Adivasism particularly from Dunka area, had virtually revolted against this move of the earlier Raghubar Das led BJP government. Now Hemant in power is firmly against any such move. This is the primary reason that he is disliked by the corporate houses and BJP is determined to throw him out of power at the earliest. The sooner it takes place it would be better in their interests of BJP’s corporate friends.
The failure of the earlier mission to purchase the MLAs has infuriated the BJP leadership. It is worth recalling that a couple of weeks back five persons, including three Congress MLAs were arrested by the Kolkata police from Howrah with a huge amount of cash in their vehicle. Though the legislators were suspended by the Congress leadership, they still continue to be vulnerable. The money seized from them was part of the BJP conspiracy to topple the government.
If the sources are to be believed the BJP leadership has amended its mechanism. Instead of delivering the money in Ranchi, it would be handed over to their link persons or friends in Delhi itself. In that situation they would not be facing the danger of getting exposed and caught. A senior Congress national leader hailing from Jharkhand said “we are maintaining extreme vigil and keeping an eye on the movements of the leaders and MLAs. We are closely watching the movements of the BJP leaders. We will succeed in foiling any such future move”
Hemant observed “Attempts to topple our government are not new. The BJP has been making such attempts ever since it was voted out of power in Jharkhand. We hear about this every other day. In fact, BJP was trying to make a new political definition and ironically BJP’s political ambition is too high”. JMM has 30 MLAs in the 81-member assembly, while the Congress has 17 legislators and RJD one. BJP has 26 MLAs in the House.
JMM leaders confide that some friends and sides of Hemant have been lending their services to the BJP in their mission. These people are not at all concerned of the plights and miseries of the Adivasis. They believe in the RSS theory of Vanavasi and hold that the big business should be encouraged in the state at the cost of the adivasis.
Only some time back JMM MLA Ramdas Soren has accused a former party leader of attempting to topple the Hemant Soren led coalition government. He has even lodged an FIR against Ravi Kejriwal and Ashok Agrawal at Dhurwa police station in Ranchi. Ravi Kejriwal served as treasurer of the JMM till he was sacked from the post and expelled from the party. He used to manage business and financial interests of the Shibu Soren family, and he enjoyed the status and confidence as the right hand of Shibu Soren and Hemant Soren.
Jharkhand Congress in charge Avinash Pande had also alleged that BJP is trying to destabilise the state government through intimidation. He said, “The MLAs are being intimidated and central agencies are being used to create confusion in the government and to destabilise the coalition.”
Intelligence sources nevertheless maintain that once the current phase of operation in Bihar is over, they would focus on Jharkhand. The political masters nurse the view that all the potent opposition leaders who can prove to be potential threat to Modi, must be pulled out of power. With Hemant in office BJP cannot hope to get the support of the Adivasis. The problem of the BJP is none of their leaders has the charisma and appeal of Hemant. Soren in Jharkhand (IPA Service)
Kejriwal calls meeting of party MLAs to discuss situation 