Playing musical chairs in Jharkhand

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Why does every one want a piece of the Jharkhand pie? It's a state which doesn't occupy mindspace for most of the year. But it grabs front-page headlines the moment there is a Madhu Koda, a Nirupama Pathak or a Shibu Soren kind of controversy.

There is however another side to Jharkhand, and that is its mines, its rich natural resources. Iron ore, bauxite, manganese -- all elements which can produce millions and billions of dollars. Move a little away from capital Ranchi on the main highway towards Hazaribagh or Jamshedpur, the kind of natural beauty you will see post a few kms from Gola is something that you may not get in several other parts of the country. Every few kms you can see signboards of Arcelor-Mittal, Tatas and several other big corporate tycoons. All there to make the most of what the state's natural resources have to offer.

It's in this background that the present political imbroglio must be seen in Jharkhand. After all, the same BJP which was so "HURT" by Shibu Soren's betrayal during the cut motion vote is now willing to wait endlessly with that "LOLLYPOP" thought of getting the chief ministerial chair of the state. There has been an entire nudge-nudge wink-wink campaign that's all too visible within the BJP. There are many within the BJP who do acknowledge that the real reason for the BJP to be lusting after the state's CM post is the huge commercial angle involved there. While there is no evidence to prove that, what else explains the party's strategy of wanting to do business with the JMM and waiting to announce its own CM candidate, when there is no clarity from the other side?

Sample this: first Hemant Soren writes to the BJP high command "OFFERING" them the state's chief minister's post! But the problem is that the post is held onto by his father, Shibu Soren. Soren Senior tells his close group of supporters that the decision to step down or not can only be his and can't be enforced upon him. Soren Junior comes to Delhi and floats a theory of rotational chief ministership. Out of the remaining 56 months of power in Jharkhand, 28 months to the BJP and 28 months to the JMM. All this happening in a state with 81 members and already with two deputy chief ministers!

And now the mother of all confusions. BJP leader Ananth Kumar declares the BJP is ready to form government in Jharkhand with JMM support in presence of Hemant Soren. The party makes it clear that there's no chance of a rotational CM. But now the BJP can't choose its own CM candidate. Should it be the tribal Arjun Munda or should it be the non-tribal Ragubhar Das? Worse, Hemant Soren also backs off from his promise! He says the CM's chair must be shared equally.

So what are we left with? A CM's post split between two aspirants simultaneously? That seems to be the only bizarre element left in this political tale.

Since its inception, Jharkhand has seen several spells of the President's rule. From Babulal Marandi to Arjun Munda to Madhu Koda, the alliances here have fallen like nine pins. So political instability is seemingly acceptable and evident for all to see. What is often not too evident is whether the corporate sector also gets involved in all these political wranglings?

Here's a query as a final thought: When Madhu Koda was arrested, he was first accused of amassing an empire worth 4000 crores. We were all told that a diary consisting of all transaction allegedly made by him was seized by the investigators. Why has that diary never been brought into public domain? Is it something to do with the fact that Koda was a man who started off as an RSS disciple, went on to become a BJP minister and finally a Chief Minister propped up by the UPA?

In other words, is the Jharkhand taint colouring all political parties? Is that the reason why we don't see scams coming from the state being given the same kind of importance by the national parties, say, as in case of scams from other bigger states? And lastly, will Jharkhand always be remembered for the wrong reasons, a state which is almost forgotten ?