Four years after the BJP denied him the honour of becoming Jharkhand’s first chief minister and sent him into the arms of anti-NDA forces, Union Coal Minister Shibu Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) is giving the BJP sleepless nights by gaining ground in the run-up to the Assembly elections. But as he tries to come within striking distance of power, Soren faces dissent at home, especially over his family’s political ambitions.Soren’s immediate test is in Dumka where JMM’s Rajya Sabha MP Stephen Marandi wants to contest the Assembly seat. So does Soren’s son Hemant. Elder son Durga has already risen: the party MLA from Jama, he has been renominated. Marandi’s insistence on Dumka has angered Soren supporters who are demanding that he be shown the door for landing ‘Guruji’ in a spot at a time when the party should be going all out.Aware that any wrong move against Marandi could cost the party Christian votes, Shibu Soren hopes to settle it through talks. ‘‘There will be no rebellion. It’s only in the media mind and among my rivals. Stephenbabu se baat karenge. He’s a Rajya Sabha MP, so why does he need to contest the Assembly elections? I don’t know why he has raised this issue at such a juncture. We will talk this over,’’ Soren told The Indian Express.But hasn’t JMM, like alliance partner Congress, also settled for a dynasty? ‘‘For decades I led the Jharkhand movement. My sons learnt from me, now they want to lead from the front. What’s wrong if someone from my family who is young, capable and has the party’s backing is given a chance? Ask Laloo (Prasad Yadav), won’t he allow it? It’s not something very dangerous or grievous. But people indulge in loose talk, try to create doubts. I suppose that’s why Stephenbabu has a problem,’’ Soren said.Soren’s son Durga too told The Indian Express that there was no question of Stephen Marandi walking out in protest. ‘‘I don’t think he will take such a wrong step. This talk of rebellion is the handiwork of outsiders. He won’t leave the party,’’ Durga Soren said. The Marandi-Hemant tug-of-war for Dumka is being keenly watched, both within and outside the party, all aware that the Sorens are tightening their grip on the party. Soren and his son also rubbished reports that the JMM was keeping its options open for possible BJP support in a post-poll scenario. ‘‘We will never take BJP support to form a government. Rashtra bhi koi cheez hoti hai (the nation matters). Ye woh log hain jo usse do bhaag mein karne kas koshish kar rahe hain (these are people who are trying to split it into two),’’ Shibu Soren said.Despite Laloo Prasad’s rantings against the JMM and Congress over their seat-sharing arrangement—the JMM will contest 35 and Congress 33 of the total 81 seats—Durga said his party, in a post-poll scenario of government-formation, would even turn to the RJD and Left for support. ‘‘The RJD will have a role in government formation. There was a communication gap. But we are all UPA partners, we will stick together even in Jharkhand,’’ Durga said. Not wanting to upset the Congress, the Sorens ducked the question on whether Shibu wanted to become the next chief minister. ‘‘Wait for the results, you will know. First, we need to throw out the BJP which has done nothing for Jharkhand. They dug up an old case (the Chirrudih massacre case led to Soren’s resignation from the Central government, arrest, and his re-induction after release on bail) and fixed me. Now they will pay the price for humiliating me,’’ Shibu Soren said.Even JMM critics admit the party is likely to do well not just in the Santhal Parganas and Singhbhum areas but also in troubled Palamu. Lack of development and corruption are major poll issues here. The JMM says these are directly linked to the spread of Maoist violence in the state. The MCC, in league with the People’s War, is practically running a parallel government in the countryside and even officials admit that Left-wing extremists are making most of socio-economic conditions on the ground.
