State BJP veteran and eight times parliamentarian from Khunti, Kariya Munda, is likely to be made Governor of a State. If the current tenure is not extended, then the 11 States of the country will have new Governors.
If Kariya Munda is given the post, he will be the first tribal leader from Jharkhand to become a Governor. State’s Governor Droupadi Murmu too is a tribal but she hails from neighboring State, Odisha. Kariya Munda, who had represented the tribal reserved Khunti Lok Sabha constituency for eight times, was denied ticket from BJP this election due to age barrier.
Replacing Kariya Munda, the BJP gave ticket to former Chief Minister Arjun Munda. It was the stature and reputation of Kariya that he had earned in his five decades political career that Arjun Munda started his election campaign after taking blessing from him. Arjun Munda not only took blessing from senior BJP leader but also during campaign regularly visited Kariya’ s residence taking his advice to win the seat (Khunti) which he had represented for eight times.
Kariya Munda apart from representing Khunti for eight times has held the post of deputy speaker of Lok Sabha. This year the Modi Government conferred Kariya Munda with Padma Bhushan award. However, Kariya being one of the stalwart leaders of BJP from Jan Sangh era had never served as minister in the Centre or State during the tenure of BJP Governments.
Kariya Munda said, “I too have heard about my name going round for Governor’s post, but all these are speculations. On earlier occasions too my name was raised for Governors post but it never materialised.”
Kariya further said, “Today politics is different than what it used to be when we started. In politics the game of speculations is high. Leader who had devoted his entire life for party don’t get a chance to become MP or MLAs while in a newcomer not only becomes MP or MLAs but even gets chance to become minister at Centre and State Government.”
Sources said that by making Kariya Munda as Governor, the Saffron party will try to please tribals who are upset with BJP on Chottanagpur/Santhal Paragna Tenancy Act (CNT/SPT) Act and Pathalgadi issue. The tribal’s resentment was visible in Lok Sabha elections as BJP lost two tribal seats (Singhbhum and Rajmahal) while in two seats Khunti and Lohardaga the BJP candidates won the seat by slender margin.
However, the octogenarian leader claimed that if his name is proposed for Governor’s post he will accept. Apart from Kariya Munda, there is speculation about the names of senior party leaders Murli Manohar Joshi, Bandaru Dattatreya, Kalraj Mishra, Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Bijoy Chakraborty and Sumitra Mahajan. Sources reveal that by making the governor, the party is in an attempt to manage its senior leaders.