Poll politics divides BJP over Soren

Arrest will net JMM leader tribal votes

With an eye to the forthcoming Assembly elections in Jharkhand, the Jharkhand unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its lone Lok Sabha member from the state Babulal Marandi have warned the party that attempting to precipitate the Shibu Soren issue could cost the party valuable tribal votes.

At a meeting of the BJP parliamentary party held a day after a non-bailable warrant was issued against Coal Minister Soren, Marandi told senior party leaders that "going after" Soren, over the Chirudih massacre would only get the coal minister sympathy.

"The MP said creating an issue over Soren's warrant would net him sympathy votes in the Assembly polls and this would be tantamount to bestowing unnecessary martyrdom on Soren," said a senior party leader.

While Yashwant Sinha, Rajya Sabha member from the Jharkhand, did nod in agreement to the view, other leaders shot down the plea, he said.

"Marandi said the move would consolidate tribal votes behind Soren. Other demographic groups in the area like Yadavs and Muslims were not BJP voters anyway. Overall, it would spell electoral disaster for the party," said a senior party office-bearer.

All this, however, did little to convince the senior leadership of the party, especially Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha LK Advani who argued that the non-bailable warrant against Soren would show him up in a bad light.

"Senior leaders felt that since they had taken the matter of the tainted ministers in such a big way, and received some popular support over it, playing down the Soren issue would be silly," said the party office-bearer.

Marandi's logic, however, has its takers in the party and many fear that the Soren arrest issue would lead to an electoral rout in Jharkhand and needlessly rake up the tribal versus non-tribal divide in the state.

"What many in the party do not realise is that the Chirudih massacre was a revolt against money lenders, always a powerful issue among tribals, only time will tell how this will affect us," said a senior leader.