New Delhi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren will soon visit Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi to discuss extending support to NDA’s presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu. This comes after a meeting of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MPs and MLAs to discuss and decide on extending support to the BJP-led NDA’s presidential candidate remained inconclusive. The meeting was held on June 25, Saturday.
Confirming the development, JMM Spokesperson and General Secretary Vinod Pandey told India Today, “CM Hemant Soren is leaving for Delhi and will meet Home Minister Amit Shah. A few matters of the state are pending in the Union Home Ministry and the Chief Minister is likely to speak to the Home Minister over those issues.”
Speculations are rife that Hemant Soren is likely to discuss the issue of extending support to Droupadi Murmu. JMM has been pursuing a tribal political plank and Santhals have been the significant vote bank of the party. Shibu soren, party president, emerged as Guruji by agitating against Mahajani Pratha from Santhal and he spearheaded a separate state movement with the support of Santhalis.
Interestingly, Droupadi Murmu, former Jharkhand governor, also hails from the Santhal community. The Jharkhand Assembly has also ratified a proposal with a demand for a Sarna code, which would allow the tribals to be identified as followers of the Sarna faith. One must also notice that in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, the ruling JMM has 30 legislators, of which 19 belong to the Scheduled Tribe community.
Soren would seek the support of the BJP-led Union government to keep a good rapport as he is locked in a political and legal battle. Currently, he is facing two PILs, filed by Shiv Shankar Sharma on a shell company issue for mining lease for allegedly misusing his position.
In February, a delegation led by the BJP had filed a complaint and submitted a memorandum to the Governor, alleging that Hemant Soren, despite holding the position of CM and Mines minister, alloted stone quarry mines for himself of 0.88 acres in Ranchi’s Angada Block.
“It defeats the spirit of office of profit and amounts to disqualification from membership,” the BJP had said. Soren is scheduled to appear before the Election Commission of India (ECI) personally or through a lawyer in Delhi on June 28.
The governor had forwarded it to the ECI in the last week of March. ECI sought an explanation and authenticated the document by serving a notice to the Chief Secretary and it also sought an explanation from Hemant Soren. Soren had said that the PIL on mining lease is aimed at destabilising my govt and now has been asked to appear before the ECI.
(With agency inputs)
