last Friday, the proceedings in the Assembly saw some bizarre turn of events like Chief Minister Raghubar Das jumping into the JMM and JVM members’ cry over Icha-Kharkai irrigation project, subtle tweaking done with the MoU signed with Adani Power for its Godda power plant and also lax land rate fixed that would subsequently put farmers and land losers disadvantage in some districts of Santhal Pargana.
The fury of the Chief Minister was so high that he went on ‘requesting’ Speaker Dinesh Oraon to guillotine all the budget related discussions and even shut the House for a day! The practice is often used in parliamentary functioning on the last day of the allotted days when the Speaker puts all the outstanding demands to the vote of the House.
What the CM was heard saying that, “politics of vote bank should not be done on daily basis” while clearly denouncing noisy interventions made by the Opposition over the issues related to Santhal Pargana area, particularly of poll-bound Godda. But what was ‘not heard’ amid bedlam was the unpleasant pleasantries exchanged between him and one of the stalwarts in Godda politics Pradeep Yadav, who whispered later to a group of reporters.
The fiery spells between the leaders on many occasions, many believe, are guided by the looming acid-test, i.e. Godda Assembly by-poll. “You can see the pattern of their disruptions. Even when most of the allegations are without facts and documentary evidences, the Opposition members are eyeing for media trial of the Government.
Icha-Kharkai dam is over two decade old project and about 80 per cent of the work of the project is complete. The JMM was in power and one should ask why they did not take any decision then. Similar is the case of land rate and the Adani Power MoU which were baseless. But they are just into hit-and-run kind of politics for immediate gains,” said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Saryu Roy.
The seat is to undergo poll mid-term before July since BJP’s legislator Raghunandan Mandal died in January this year. Parties in the Opposition are looking it as another opportunity to corner the ruling BJP-AJSU alliance after it surrendered its lohardaga seat to the Congress early this year bringing down its strength from 47 in the House of 81.
“It is not just the question of cutting number of seats from the ruling coalition. A loss in Godda would weaken the position of the Chief Minister further under whose leadership they have already lost one seat. Any upset there would give their opponents stronger chance, be it from inside the party or from the coalition AJSU,” explained a senior BJP leader citing the CM’s anger in the Assembly.
It is also being learnt that Opposition parties may agree upon fielding a common candidate in Godda making the task even difficult for the BJP-AJSU combine. Chances are former RJD MlA from the constituency Sanjay Kumar Singh Yadav would emerge as the jointcandidate. In this case, the always sentimental issues related to land can prove crucial for the parties during the election that would polarise votes on tribal-non-tribal and industrial fear mongering planks.
“The fear is there. Otherwise the Chief Minister would not have dragged his feet over land rate issue for Godda and ordered for a high-level committee to have a relook. The Government is under pressure as far as this by-poll is concerned,” said Pradeep Yadav who knows very well that the sentimental issues raised with high lung power in the House are right on the target back home.