First sign of trouble in Jharkhand coalition government as Congress leaders say sidelined by Soren

“We are running a coalition government, but our condition in this government is that like song that says jab manjhi hi naav duboye use kaun bachaye (when the boatman himself sinks the boat, who can help)? When the CM himself wants our party, our people, our votes to come to an end, what justification does such a government have?” said Gupta, a Cabinet minister and one of at least two MLAs who spoke out against the CM.

चिंतन शिविर में अपना बहुमूल्य समय निकाल कर डिजिटल सदस्यता अभियान कार्यक्रम पर प्रशिक्षण देने एवं सदस्यता अभियान के अन्य महत्वपूर्ण जानकारी साझा करने के लिए श्री के. राजू जी, श्री @pravchak जी एवं श्री @prakashjoshiinc जी का आभार।@RajeshThakurINC @avinashpandeinc @UmangSinghar pic.twitter.com/rsj5CV2vq9

— Jharkhand Congress (@INCJharkhand) February 24, 2022

While this is the first open criticism of the Chief Minister and the JMM by Congress leaders, party sources say trouble has been brewing in the JMM-Congress-RJD coalition government for a while, especially after Jharkhand Congress in-charge RPN Singh quit the party and joined the BJP — a setback that is seen to have weakened the Congress’s standing in the coalition government. While the JMM has 30 MLAs, the Congress has 18 and the RJD 1. The Congress has four ministers in the coalition government.

Until now, the Congress had largely been battling problems within. More than two years ago, when Ajoy Kumar was the Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee (JPCC) chief, several factions had come out to openly criticise each other. While stepping down, Kumar had written a scathing letter to the party’s central leadership, calling some Congress leaders “worst criminals” and “rent seekers”. However, under subsequent PCC chiefs, Rameshwar Oraon and now Rajesh Thakur, the name-calling had subsided.

Talking to The Indian Express, Gupta said, “The CM does not take us into confidence while taking major policy decisions. Even the Cabinet notes and files are provided to us barely half an hour before the meetings and we are clueless… The language controversy also created bitterness.”

Hemant Soren and RPN Singh after meeting with congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi in 2019. (Express Archives)

He was referring to the government’s decision to include — and then roll back — Bhojpuri and Magahi in the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) examinations for appointments in Bokaro and Dhanbad districts. While the government’s decision saw protests in parts of the state, Congress leaders said they were never in the loop. Similarly, Congress leaders say they were taken by surprise when the Chief Minister announced a petrol subsidy to ration card holders to mark two years of the government.

Besides Gupta, Mahagama MLA Deepika Pandey Singh also took to the stage at the Chintan Shivir to say that Soren is “taking all the credit” for work done in the state. “Whether it’s MGRNEGA that kept the rural economy going, or Covid Health Management… these departments are with our leaders. Our organisation worked and did all the hard work. But the top person in the government, the Chief Minister, took all the credit.”

She later told The Indian Express that a letter has been sent to the CM asking for a common minimum programme — a broad framework of governance — besides various district-level coordination committees. She said, “The Congress has reiterated its demand for an increase in the OBC reservation since the state only has 14% OBC reservation. We have also sought a code of coalition where there is credit-sharing between the parties.”

At the meeting, the Congress also discussed the need to look beyond 2024, when the next elections will be held.

“Hemant Soren is consolidating his own vote bank. He is trying to polarise by creating a divide between those speaking Jharkhandi and non-Jharkhandi languages. That is why we have planned to launch some schemes in the name of Rajiv Gandhi… We will reinforce our image among the public,” said a leader present at the meeting, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

While JMM spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya refused to comment on the Congress’s Chintan Shivir, party sources said Gupta’s remarks at the meeting have come as a “rude shock”.