Soren: Courting trouble

Ranchi, Dec. 5: Shouting slogans against the Central Bureau of Investigation, “CBI Murdabad”, and sporting black headbands and holding black flags, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha supporters hit the streets this evening, soon after news came in that their chief Shibu Soren had been sentenced to life imprisonment.

JMM leaders promised to intensify the protest and declared that Wednesday would be observed as a “peaceful protest day” throughout the state, with workers staging demonstrations against the gross injustice meted out to “Guruji”.

Deputy chief minister Sudhir Mahto declared that after tomorrow’s sit-in, rallies will be held in rural areas and “Nyaya Yatras” would be taken out to expose the “conspiracy” against the JMM leader and seek justice.

“Shibu Soren and mass movements are synonymous,” said Mahto, and predicted that both Soren and the party would overcome the crisis.

The other deputy chief minister, Stephen Marandi, said he is in a state of shock. “I have been an associate for over twenty years and I simply do not believe that he is capable of committing the crime he is being accused of.”

Cardinal Telesphore Toppo declared that Soren remains the most charismatic leader of Jharkhand and his contributions are immense. “We will continue to pray for him,” he declared.

Curiously, both Congress and the BJP, which have distanced themselves from Soren at the national level, expressed their solidarity with the JMM leader in the state.

“A towering figure who should have been the chief minister of the state is lodged in jail,” lamented BJP leader Sarayu Roy, while another BJP leader, C.P. Singh, called upon the JMM to come out of the United Progressive Alliance. “Guruji is the victim of a Congress conspiracy and sooner the JMM realises it, the better it is,” he added pointedly.

But state Congress president, Pradeep Balmuchu, described the court’s decision as “unfortunate” and asserted that his party and the JMM would jointly hold statewide agitations on December 6. Supporters of both the parties, he said, will hold demonstrations in district headquarters tomorrow.

“The entire state is in mourning,” declared land revenue minister Dulal Bhuiyan from New Delhi. There was a political conspiracy to cut Guruji to size at a time when he had so much to contribute to the state, he asserted, while informing that an appeal will be moved against the trial court’s decision “as early as possible”.

In Jamshedpur, agitated JMM workers blocked the busy Mango bridge and set tyres on fire. In other JMM strongholds in the steel city, JMM workers forced shops to down their shutters.

“It does not matter whether Soren remains in prison or outside,” philosophised Sudhir Mahto, “he will continue to remain our guiding spirit.”

The JMM, he asserted, will remain united in this hour of crisis and work overtime to prove Soren’s innocence and expose the wider conspiracy.

All decisions, as before, will be approved by Soren first before they are implemented.