Gautam Adani at Hemant Soren’s home: Jharkhand drama peaks over a guest appearance

The Adani-Soren meeting coming at a time when the Jharkhand CM is at loggerheads with the Centre over pending mining dues worth Rs 1.36 lakh crore has triggered a buzz over Soren looking at an alternative to reduce dependence on Central-government controlled Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and seek alternative investments.

In the run-up to last year’s Lok Sabha elections and subsequent Assembly polls, the JMM and Congress – both part of the Opposition INDIA bloc – had repeatedly hit out at the BJP, accusing it of “cosying up to industrialists like Adani” with Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi leading the charge. To stress on its point and showcase its distance from the industrialist, the Revanth Reddy-led Congress government in Telangana in November last year went as far as to refuse a Rs 100-crore donation to the proposed Young India Skill University from Adani.

Pointing to the past allegations, Leader of the Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly Babulal Marandi asked the Congress to “break its silence and clarify its stand”. “Now, questions must be raised on those who, in the past, from chowk and chaurahas (streets) to the sadan (Assembly) falsely claimed that the BJP was warming up to Adani. Why did the CM not meet him in the office (instead of his home), and what were the private discussions that they had? Is this not hypocrisy? On one hand, they criticise him (Adani) while on the other they hold personal meetings with him… Such private meetings only indicate that something fishy is up,” Marandi told The Indian Express.

Currently, the Godda project generates 1,600MW of power daily, which is supplied to neighbouring Bangladesh while the mining project in Gondalpura is facing stiff opposition from villagers, leading to a delay in acquisition of 500 acres.

Marandi also pointed out that ruling MLAs – the Congress’s Pradeep Yadav along with the JMM’s Stephen Marandi – had recently raised concerns over land acquisition in Godda, alleging the process violated the Resettlement Act, 2013 and Santhal Parganas Tenancy (SPT) Act. The Soren government subsequently constituted a panel under Chief Secretary Alka Tiwari to review the legality of the land transferred to the Adani group for the project.

Dismissing Marandi’s allegations and claiming that the BJP was “left with no recourse but to create hindrances both within and outside the Assembly”, JMM spokesperson Tanuj Khatri said such “routine interactions must not be hyped”. “The Soren government is aware of the people’s interests, which was evident in the elections. Our government is doing everything to prevent migration of people and generate employment. Any industrial development, including the establishment of new plants, will ultimately benefit the state and its people,” he said.

The Congress firmly backed its ally, with AICC Jharkhand in-charge K Raju saying Yadav was only raising people’s issues. “Also, it is normal for businessmen to visit multiple states,” he added.

However, Raju’s meeting with the CM days after the Soren-Adani meeting “to discuss developmental issues and the political scenario of the state” has only added intrigue to the issue. According to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), Yadav and senior leader Keshav Mahto Kamlesh accompanied Raju to the meeting.