The BJP’s tribal face in Jharkhand, Arjun Munda, took oath as a minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet at a function held at a glittering ceremony at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Thursday. Munda is lone minister from State to be inducted in Modi’s Cabinet.
The three times chief minister Arjun Munda defeated Congress candidate Kalicharan Munda from Khunti with a slender margin of 1145 votes. Munda began his political career in the 1980s as a teenager with the Jharkhand movement, headed by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. In 1995 Munda was elected to the Bihar State Assembly from Kharswan. In 2000 he retained the seat and won the 2005 election too.
In 2000 when separate State Jharkhand was carved out from Bihar, Munda was made Cabinet minister in Babulal Marandi’s government. As a minister in Marandi’s Cabinet he took some excellent work and took some ground breaking decisions. In 2003, when non-BJP MLAs called for Marandi’s replacement, Munda who was strong tribal leader was made the Chief Minister of Jharkhand. After 2003, Munda had occupied the CM post for three times at different period of times.
According to BJP sources, Munda is likely to be given plum portfolio in Modi’s Cabinet. In Modi’s first tenure, Jharkhand had two representations—Jayant Sinha and Sudarshan Bhagat, but both of them were ministers of state in the government.
Sources said that by making Munda as cabinet minister, the Saffron party aims at pleasing tribal community who were upset with BJP government interference in Chottanagpur and Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act (CNT/SPT) Act. There were agitations too against the state government’s proposed amendments to age-old land laws, the CNT, SPT acts.
The tribal resentment was visible in Khunti from where Munda contested the election as in rural areas voters were aggressively against the BJP on the issue of Pathalgadi and interference in CNT/SPT Act.
Born in Jamshedpur, Munda, did his schooling from a local school and later completed his diploma in Sociology from Indira Gandhi Open University. He is married to Meera Munda and the couple has three sons.
Chief Minister Raghubar Das along with State Cabinet ministers attended the ceremony. Das congratulated Narendra Modi for becoming Prime Minister for second consecutive term. Das also congratulated Munda on his inclusion in Modi’s Cabinet.
Sources said that over hundred people from Jharkhand attended the ceremony including Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs, CM and State ministers, State BJP president Laxman Gilua, Organisational Secretary Dharmpal, seven vice presidents, three general secretaries, seven spokespersons, 14 Lok Sabha in-charges, 14 Lok Sabha Vistaraks, all district presidents of the party and chairpersons of boards, corporations.
