The JMM has expressed caution to read much between the lines aftermath its participation in the RJD’s anti-BJP rally at Patna where, for the first time, the party shared a public platform with JVM supremo Babulal Marandi, another heavyweight in Jharkhand politics.
When asked whether the textures of the ‘grand alliance’ in making at national level following the exit of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar would be on display here in Jharkhand as well, the party leadership sounded apprehensive and sought more time.
“There is lot of time still left in the Assembly elections and we would see what can be done with other parties in the anti-BJP camp when it nears. At present, all the parties are working on their own agenda,” said JMM general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya.
Poll strategists in the party also do not see much meat in what its apex leader Hemant Soren had said in his speech during the lalu Prasad’s rally last Sunday. “He said about the need to expose the BJP and its deeds in disintegrating the country and acts of land grab being done in the favour of corporate houses. He is in the favour of the grand alliance at national level but not at the cost of JMM’s stake in Jharkhand,” said a senior party leader.
The party sitting pretty in Opposition in the State with 19 seats is unwilling to make any compromise on leadership issue; the demand unofficially is said to be placed before it by the JVM. “This is a far cry (from the JVM). We are a bigger party with pan-Jharkhand presence. Anyway the issue is yet to be discussed formally within the party forums, far from being considered,” said Bhattacharya.
On the other, JVM is more than confident in getting the flag-barer tag of the Opposition unity in the State in the run up to 2019-20 battles. “Several rounds of formal and informal talks have taken place between the JMM and the JVM. Considering the stature of Babulal Marandi, he should be the obvious choice of leadership in Jharkhand. Moreover, these issues can be discussed after the polls happen and all the MlAs can choose the leader then. Time for looking at this issue has not arrived at present,” said JVM leader KK Poddar.
However, keeping aside the question of leadership, both the parties looking to be major cogs in the grand alliance wheel when presence of RJD and the left is not so strong in the State, are not seen working on a common agenda.
Marandi was in Dhanbad day before yesterday taking forward his anti-land acquisition and domicile policy calls while Hemant Soren was busy inducting new entrants into the JMM in order to widen its reach.