Late evening Jan 31, 2024, the rendezvous with destiny could not be deferred.
Hemant Soren became the third Jharkhand Chief Minister to be arrested after his father, Shibu Soren, and Madhu Koda.
Generally its believed, 'small states' help development, Jharkhand came into being in 2000 along with Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh; but Corruption has been the saga here. This could often lead experts and policy makers take a fresh look at the road map for development and good governance.
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| Hemant and his father Shibu Soren |
Hemant Soren was arrested in a case related to an illegal change of ownership of land in Jharkhand. So far, 14 people have been arrested in the case. The charge of money laundering is also there against Hemant Soren.
Jharkhand BJP spokesperson Pratul Shah Deo said: "...This was bound to happen in Jharkhand. CM was accused of being involved in a Rs 70,000 Crore scam. After selling everything, he sold defence land in Ranchi too".
He further said, Hemant's "..problems increased after that. He kept justifying it and defying ED summons. The CM forgot that the law is above all - like most 'political princes' feel that the law will not touch them. He was missing for 40 hours and was arrested after questioning".
"Hemant Soren has shamed Jharkhand nationally and internationally," he said.
Since Jharkhand's formation on November 15, 2000, the state has seen six chief ministers and three President's rule terms. Only one CM, Raghubar Das of BJP, has managed to complete his full term (2014 to 2019). But Raghubar Das was voted out of power in 2019 assembly polls.
Lack of leadership, a large section of people being left out of economic development and national political parties failing to address people's requirements have been the causes for the fragile nature of politics. Koda's regime was synonymous with corruption and a number of top Babus have also gone behind bars.
Less number of assembly seats since the state was created has also affected political stability and that way encouraged corruption.
When 'Jharkhand region' in Bihar was still struggling for statehood, local leaders and social activists used to raise slogan for --- Jal, Jungle aur Zameen (water, forest and land).
More than two decades since statehood apparently, these words seem to be slowly fading from the political consciousness.
Political instability in Jharkhand can be judged by the number of chief ministers it saw in 15 years, till 2024-15.
The state changed chief minister nine times and witnessed President’s rule thrice.
Analysts say these debates about corruption ad holier-than-thou spirits would go on; essentially it is time to focus on save water, forest and land from corruption.
The state is mineral rich, but common people continue to suffer. It is obvious that the mining scams and corruption in executing various government schemes have eaten up state's natural resources as well.
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