Former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leaderHemant Soren underlines widespread concerns in the State over the Forest Rights Act and says the Pulwama incident is unlikely to trump issues of unemployment and agrarian distress in the elections.
You met with Rahul Gandhi on Saturday and announced that most issues in the alliance have been ironed out. So why not announce it now and not after Holi?
Our idea is to include the Left parties, some of whom are the oldest in the State and have been involved in political activity. That is being considered, but all other issues have been settled. We feel that the announcement will have a better effect from Ranchi in the presence of “ Guruji” (former Chief Minister Shibu Soren). Which is why it will be announced in his presence in the next few days.
What are the issues that you will focus on in these elections?
The land acquisition in the State is a big issue as is the Forest Rights Act and the recent developments in the Supreme Court. Tribals are the most affected by this development. Nearly one crore people are affected by the FRA in Jharkhand alone. Despite the stay in the Supreme Court, there are apprehensions of a big conspiracy to displace tribals from the 11 wildlife sanctuaries. This is a strange model of development which is not good for people. Over and above that we are going to flag the issue of unemployment, which is huge across the country.
Do you think the Pulwama attack and its aftermath have blunted the edge of the Opposition’s campaign on policy issues?
I want to ask Prime Minister Modi: when there is an Army for the protection of the country, why are you going there with a puffed chest? They (the Army) are quite able to defend our borders, but what about your policy-making role? Farmers are committing suicide, the youth are unemployed in huge numbers. Why can’t Mr. Modi answer those questions?
Politics on corpses will not win you votes. I can tell you 200% that the BJP can neither run the country nor the State. In Pulwama people died in a suicide attack by a terrorist, all those jawans hail from a rural-agricultural background from across the country. Within the country, farmers are dying of hunger and at the border farmers sons are being killed because of mismanagement.
There are 1.25 billion people in the country, and they understand what is happening. Let those whose work it is, let them do it. You do your job. War is not your only job. The BJP wants to keep this kind of temperature up, because in a calm, harmonious environment they are unable to bake their political bread. It is a sponsored halla (hollering) party. Even the “Modi, Modi” halla in public meetings is done by people planted by the RSS in the crowd. But now people are also aware of these tactics.
Do you think alliances by the Opposition can really take on the NDA?
I can’t tell you about the situation nationally, but in Jharkhand we will definitely challenge the BJP both in Lok Sabha and in Jharkhand Assembly polls (scheduled for later in the year).
There are always questions raised about the leadership of the alliance. Do you think it should be Congress president Rahul Gandhi?
This is first of all an issue for the Congress. Let them first decide who they want. We will go with their decision. Now that Priyanka ji is also in active politics, only time will tell what situation comes about.
What has been the Congress’ attitude towards seat sharing after it won the Kolebira bypoll? Have they displayed more arrogance or bargaining harder than before the win?
You people decide whether it is arrogance or hard bargaining. For us politicians, it’s a normal issue. Having said that, we (JMM) have won more elections, in contests where even Prime Minister Modi had to come down to Jharkhand to campaign. All that has been taken into account too.
