Hemant Soren’s absence ruined perfect photo operation: Congress

RANCHI: State Congress leaders said Rahul Gandhi’s rally at Morhabadi grounds on Saturday has given party cadres a much-needed boost ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. However, many also rued the absence of Hemant Soren, working president of the JMM, from the event that was also aimed at showcasing the strength of the mahagathbandhan in the state.

Soren decided to send Stephen Marandi and Akil Akhtar as his representatives to Rahul’s rally, saying he would be busy with the last leg of his Sangharsh Yatra. RJD’s state president Annapurna Devi, too, skipped the rally and instead sent Ram Chandra. JVM-P chief Babulal Marandi, however, was present at the meeting.

“Besides boosting the morale of our own party men, the idea was also to energise leaders of alliance partners by having Rahul Gandhi’s rally here. It would have been picture perfect if we could have had Babulal, Annapurna Devi and Hemant together on the podium along with Rahul. That plan did not succeed.” a senior Congress leader said, not wishing to be named.

“We understand that JMM patriarch Sibu Soren couldn’t have come because of a prostate operation, but Hemant could have easily attended the rally, if he really wished too. At programmes like these, little gestures makes a lot of difference,” another Congress leader added.

JMM, however, said that Hemant’s progamme was chalked out months in advance and couldn’t be altered. “One should refrain from reading too much into the absence, as Hemant ji was busy with Sangharsh Yatra,” JMM’s spokesperson and general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharjee said. “We appointed two of our senior leaders — Stephen Marandi and Akil Akhtar — to represent the party at the rally,” he added.

Akil, a former MLA from Pakur, could not enter the venue due to lack of a valid entry pass.

RJD’s state president Annapurna Devi when contacted said she was not keeping well. “I am unwell for the last two to three days, so I sent our representative,” she said.