Ranchi
Coming along expected lines, Jharkhand’s new Chief Minister Champai Soren on Monday easily proved his majority in the Jharkhand Assembly with 47 votes in his favour and 29 against him. The majority required was 41 MLAs.
Former BJP leader and Independent MLA Saryu Rai, who had defeated the then sitting Chief Minister Raghubar Das in 2019 after he was denied a ticket from his traditional seat, didn’t participate in the proceedings while another Independent MLA Amit Yadav didn’t come. A JMM MLA Sarfaraj Ahmad had resigned last month in a move seen in view of the possibility of former Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s wife having to be elected in six months after taking over the Chiefministership in case her husband got arrested by the ED.
It was Hemant Soren who hogged the limelight and utilised the opportunity to speak during the floor test to the maximum. “Today I have been arrested on charges of 8.5-acre land scam. If they have the courage, then show the documents of the land registered in my name. If it is proved, I will quit politics,” he challenged.
Hemant Soren participated in the floor test having been granted permission by the PMLA Court and brought to the Assembly by the ED sleuths. He was greeted with slogans in his favour by the ruling alliance members.
“We have not yet accepted defeat. If they think they can succeed by putting me behind bars, this is Jharkhand where many people have laid down their lives,” he further asserted.
He said he would not shed tears today because the tears of tribals and backward sections do not matter. He alleged the conspiracy to arrest him was being cooked over a low flame and executed in a well-planned manner.
He targeted the Raj Bhawan saying, “On the night of January 31, for the first time in the country, a chief minister was arrested and I believe that Raj Bhavan was also involved in this incident. The day will be remembered as a black chapter in India’s history.”
Hemant invoked Dalit icon BR Ambedkar and said atrocities against backward sections have been happening for long. “The ruling dispensation’s hatred towards these communities (is on display),” he said adding he is at a loss to understand the source of this hatred.
“Someone close to them (referring a journalist with a leading news channel) does not even hesitate to say that we (tribals) must continue to live in the jungle. We left the jungle, came and sat next to them and their clothes are soiled. They see us as untouchables. If left to them, we would be back in the jungle,” he said.
Moving the trust motion, Chief Minister Champai Soren in his address outlined the work done by former Chief Minister Hemant Soren and attacked the Centre saying it tried to destabilise the democratically elected Jharkhand government through misuse of Central agencies.
“I proudly say that I am part-2 of Hemant Soren. Today the whole country is seeing how injustice is being done to (former CM) Hemant Soren. If you go to any village, you will find Hemant Soren’s schemes in every house,” Champai asserted, praising his predecessor.
He said whenever the tribals of Jharkhand tried to increase their capacity, there were attempts to suppress them. Following the floor test, Champai said, “The blueprint of the schemes made by Hemant Soren will be worked on rapidly and we will work well in the interest of the people. And the Cabinet will be expanded in 2-3 days.”
Meanwhile, in Jharkhand on Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met Kalpana Soren, wife of arrested former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren.
For its part, the Jharkhand High Court sought a reply from the ED on Hemant’s petition against his arrest. The HC has asked the ED to file its reply by February 9 and it will take up its hearing on February 12.
For its part, the ED has moved the Jharkhand High Court challenging the FIR registered against its officials by Hemant under the SC/ST Act.
Jharkhand Governor CP Radhakrishnan, who addressed, the special Assembly session, said, “We’ve to complete our duty in an unbiased manner and that has been done and every democratic norm has been followed strictly and Raj Bhavan is for that.”
On rulings MLAs’ protest during his address, he said, “The Governor’s address has been prepared by the ruling party and they are shouting. This shows that they have to be more mature.”
Former Deputy Chief Minister of Jharkhand and president AJSU , BJP’s NDA ally, Sudesh Mahto downplayed the win saying, “Trust Vote happened on the basis of the members not based on the questions. They do not have an answer to the reason as to why this situation arose. The government was quiet on the questions raised on corruption.”
Earlier, Jharkhand BJP President Babulal Marandi said, the JMM was scared of its MLA nd so kept an eye on them. “BJP does not do anything wrong like this (poaching of MLAs). We do not make democracy a shop. People who do politics for money and family do this kind of work,” he said.
Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh said, “There was no doubt. We were saying beforehand that we would win this trust vote with a good majority. 47 MLAs were in support. ‘Operation Keechad’ has failed. BJP’s attempts of first arresting Hemant Soren, then delaying Champai Soren’s oath for two days, have all been foiled. BJP has failed and our coalition government will go on for a year. After that, we will once again ask for people’s mandate based on our work.”
