Soren returns

It is politics as usual for Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Shibu Soren. He is back as Jharkhand chief minister for a second term and this time hopefully for a longer time than in 2005 when it lasted for a mere nine days. He has been quite frank about his desire to reign over the state for which he had struggled to get formed, though, of course he was not the only one in that fight. What makes his ascent interesting this time is the fact that it is part of the payback package the Congress had worked out for the support he and the JMM gave during the trust vote for the Manmohan Singh government in July. He had either to be re-inducted into the Union cabinet — and that too as minister for coal and nothing else — or he had to be the chief minister of Jharkhand. So an elaborate ritual of political gamesmanship was enacted to make it happen. The question was never raised whether it was worth it or indeed was ethical.
The UPA government knew it had to do it as part of the quid pro quo. Soren, of course, is remembered for offering his loyalties another time too, when his party helped prop up a minority Narasimha Rao government in return for financial gains.

Personal ambition is a great motivating force for a politician any time, any where. So, it would be unfair to single out Soren for his burning ambition to be chief minister  though his methods might be questionable. What needs to be asked however, is whether he will do justice to the state and its people. Soren taking over as chief minister cannot be an end in itself. It has to be a means for improving the lot of the state, and its predominantly tribal population.

Among other reasons, Jharkhand was created to enable the tribal people to benefit from the state’s rich natural resources. When these districts were part of Bihar, the issue  was that the state was skimming the cream, as it were, of the mineral wealth of the region.
Now what Soren and other political leaders have to do is use the state’s  wealth for the benefit of the people of Jharkhand.

Soren might say that this was the first time since the state’s formation in 2000 that he has assumed power, and that he cannot be blamed for the lack of desirable improvements after its creation. True enough. But it should also be reminder to him that he was not voted to power by the people the last time; this time too his entry is via the backdoor.  While his fight for the formation of Jharkhand will always be recognised,  he has now the more important task of transforming Jharkhand into a successful state.

Becoming  chief minister is just the first step, but not enough.