Tribals do all kinds of work to make a living and receive occasional help from the government, too. Simaria legislator Upendra Nath Das (inset) considers the inclusion of bhuiyans into the SC category as one of his greatest achievements.

Calling a spade a spade comes very easy to Upendra Nath Das, the legislator from Simaria. The man, who is considered to be one of the most vocal members of the Jharkhand Assembly, does not spare even his colleagues from the Treasury bench.

Not surprisingly, some ruling party legislators often believe that the Opposition is redundant as long as pedantic preachers like Das are there in the ruling government.

Originally hailing from Khirgaon Das considers the inclusion of the bhuiyans (mussahar) into the Schedule Caste category as one of his greatest achievements. In an interview with S. Shekhar, Das presents his perspective of the nitty-gritty of the state polity and his visions about it.

What exactly is the role of a parliamentary secretary?

The concept of a parliamentary secretary is a product of the British model but the appointment of the secretary is nothing new in India. In our country, the ministers are appointed on a three-tier basis, where the experienced are appointed as cabinet ministers, the less experienced as ministers of state or deputy ministers and new members, who have the potential to contribute to the system in the future or be given the responsibility of a ministry, as parliamentary secretaries. But our chief minister Arjun Munda has experimented in the state by appointing four experienced members as parliamentary secretaries.

But, chief minister Arjun Munda has experimented in Jharkhand by appointing four experienced members as parliamentary secretaries in the rank of cabinet ministers. I have been given the departments of IT and labour. But I do not want confine myself to these departments alone and want to contribute in the development of the state in as many ways as possible.

What is your vision for developing IT in Jharkhand?

I want to convert the state into an IT zone. The state has the potential, environment and the climate for being developed into an IT hub and I shall try my best to tap the potential and ensure that the best brains of the state need not migrate to other places to make it big.

What will be your focus in the labour department?

The unorganised sector will be my main area of focus in the labour department. The number of labourers in the unorganised sector is the maximum and they are the ones who suffer the most as well. Not only are they deprived of their wages, they are not paid any compensations or are treated if you meet with accidents. I want to work with these issues and ensure they no longer remain neglected.

What ails Jharkhand?

Our political leaders lack commitment, the bureaucracy is not up to the mark and there is no composite plan for the state. We need political masters and not politicians to run the state. But I do believe that collective efforts can bring in the needed improvement.

Though you have also become a part of it recently, how do you rate the state government?

A system of government can work best both inside and outside the House if they work hard, understand the parliamentary process, study the norms of parliamentary democracy and display a keenness in an amicable resolution of problems.

Are you satisfied with development in Jharkhand so far?

I have no hesitation in admitting that we have not performed according to expectations. Some good work was done initially. Roads were built, power was made available to some of the villages and a lot of basic problems were attended to. But the pace of development was abated with time and we need to look into it as soon as possible.

The root of the problem lies in the fact that not the ministers but the officers run the government. The ministers do not work hard here and red-tapism comes in the way of the pace of work. The officers can be kept under control only if the ministers work hard.

How do you compare Arjun Munda vis-a-vis Babulal Marandi?

Marandi emphasised on building infrastructure and Munda is also doing the same, but his work is not visible now as development takes time. A number of MoUs have been signed during the tenure of the Munda government and the ramifications will only be visible in the coming 10 years.

What do feel about the extravagant and unwarranted expenditure by the state government and especially its ministers?

I have always opposed extravagant governance and have even raised this issue in one of the sessions of the Assembly. The ministers should be given necessary facilities but Rs 15 lakh Ford Endeavours for them cannot be justified when Rs 5 lakh Ambassador could well have served the purpose.

Only people can do good to other people and not lavish lifestyles. In fact, people in bicycles might often do more good to people than those on Mercedes cars.

It is often said you are too vocal for the government?s comfort and often cause them a lot of embarrassment. Is it true?

I don?t think so. I am well aware of my responsibilities and am doing what I?m expected to do. I might be a member of the ruling party but I?m a public representative and have expectations to live up to. The voters have reposed their faith in me and I will continue to raise relevant issues and problems at the highest democratic platform.

How do you rate the Opposition in the state Assembly?

I must confess that I have never seen such an irresponsible Opposition in my career. There is nothing called an Opposition in the state. In the erstwhile Bihar Assembly, only two or three of us were enough to keep the Laloo government on tenterhooks. The Opposition here is evasive and thinks that boycotting the Assembly session is all it can do.

The Opposition is actually a part of the government and its task is constructive criticism. But in our state how many times have you seen them taking to the streets to protest against basic problems like power and water? Here they believe that bandhs can solve all issues.

How do you compare the Bihar Assembly with the Jharkhand Assembly?

There are no comparisons between the two assemblies. Despite much deterioration, parliamentary democracy exists there and, unlike Jharkhand, the state has a political culture. At times, I feel that I have come from a sea to a pond. Neither the MLAs nor the officers are hardworking in Jharkhand.