Jharkhand | Can the Hemant Soren government withstand this storm within the alliance?

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren (File image: PTI)

The ruling alliance of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), and the Congress in Jharkhand is headed for a tipping point, setting the state on the brink of a political crisis.

The Congress summoned 30 of its leaders including four ministers in the Hemant Soren-led government for an urgent meeting in Delhi on April 5 in a bid to send an ultimatum of sorts to the Chief Minister to mend his ways, or risk withdrawal of support.

Suspecting that Soren may be negotiating for an alternative arrangement for running the government, the Congress has decided to signal to the JMM chief that he cannot take the grand old party for granted.

In the 81-member House, 16 MLAs of the Congress, along with 30 MLAs of the JMM, and one each of the RJD and the NCP make up for the government's tally of 48 members.

The BJP may have just 26 MLAs in the assembly, but it is in touch with disgruntled MLAs of the Congress and the JMM (who are upset with Soren's style of functioning) to form its government. A party needs 41 MLAs to stake claim for power.

The Congress' grouse is that despite its huge back-up for Soren to enjoy the spoils of his office, its legislators have had a raw deal in terms of allocation of resources.

There is also fear among the Congress higher-ups that a section of its legislators may join hands with the BJP since their earlier points-person, former Union minister RPN Singh, switched over to the BJP shortly before the assembly elections in February.

The buzz is Singh has been given the task of breaking the ranks of the Congress to enable a formation of a BJP-supported government in Ranchi. This could be orchestrated keeping in mind the elections for two Rajya Sabha seats from Jharkhand in June-July.

The Congress' calculation is that Soren may have to blink first, or risk the collapse of his chief ministership because his popularity has taken a beating.
On the other hand, Soren has indicated to the Congress that he would not bow down to its pressure tactics, and won't mind playing up to the brink.

This comes after the Congress didn't get any response on the draft proposal it had given Soren regarding the Common Minimum Programme (CMP), and formation of co-ordination committee. The proposal was sent to him on March 7, and a month later Soren is yet to respond. Those close to Soren claim that the Congress talk of a CMP is a smokescreen for its leaders to extract their pound of flesh in terms of resources generated from contracts in the mining and power sectors.

Jharkhand Congress in-charge Avinash Pandey has, however, countered by arguing that, "as a responsible coalition partner, we have done our job. After having the three-day brainstorming session, we have given two major proposals to the Chief Minister of Jharkhand who is the elder partner of the coalition."

Pandey did not mince words in conveying the annoyance of the Congress over Soren's response to its demands. "We were expecting that he will be very serious, but unfortunately he could not devote much time for this proposal. The Congress is a national party. It is much more experienced in running the government, having a better vision for Jharkhand. That is why we want to support JMM and its leaders with our views and vision (sic)."

In bid to flex its muscle on the ground, the Congress has announced a 'Samvad Yatra' in Jharkhand, covering 24 districts from April 12.
Significantly, the Congress' decision to up the ante comes at a time when infighting is seen within the family of JMM patriarch ‘Guruji’ Shibu Soren. On April 1, Sita Soren, the eldest daughter-in-law of the JMM chief, called on Governor Ramesh Bains and alleged that the original objective of ‘Guruji’ for creating of separate state of Jharkhand stands defeated — because the Hemant Soren government has failed to curb the ‘loot of the land’ and, instead, supported corrupt officers.

Sita Soren, who represents the Jama constituency in the assembly (for the third time), is the widow of Durga Soren, the elder son of Shibu Soren. Hemant Soren, who inherited the JMM mantle after the death of his brother, represents Barhait seat in Sahibganj district, while his youngest brother, Basant Soren is the MLA from Dumka constituency. Borio MLA Lobin Hembrom has also opened a front against the Chief Minister.

Hemant Soren suspects that his sister-in-law is ‘conspiring’ with the BJP to topple his government by wooing JMM MLAs to visit Delhi for a ‘deal’. On her part, Sita Soren refutes allegations against her.

Some MLAs belonging to other groups are also flexing their muscles. On March 11, five legislators in Jharkhand, announced the formation of a Jharkhand Loktantrik Morcha, a separate political group, as a single entity both inside and outside the House. The Morcha includes two legislators of AJSU, Sudesh Mahto and Lambodar Mahto, the NCP legislator, Kamlesh Singh, besides two independents, Saryu Roy and Amit Yadav. Both Roy and Yadav are former BJP legislators who turned rebels ahead of the 2019 assembly polls and won as independents. Roy earned the tag of a ‘giant killer’ when he defeated BJP leader and former chief minister Raghubar Das.