The Hindu : Marandi told to end strife

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 25, 2002

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Other States - Jharkand

Marandi told to end strife

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI JULY 24. The Jharkhand Chief Minister, Babulal Marandi, summoned here by the Bharatiya Janata Party's central leadership today, was told to act decisively to end the ongoing strife in the State. The conflict has taken on dimensions of a civil war between the "locals'' and the "outsiders''.

The BJP president, Venkaiah Naidu, the External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha (whose constituency Hazaribagh is in Jharkhand) and Mr. Marandi met today and it was decided that as soon as Mr. Marandi returns to his State, he should call a meeting of all parties to sort out the problem. The Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, was to have participated in the meeting but was held up in the Rajya Sabha most of the day.

Later, Mr. Marandi told reporters that the all-party meeting would be held in Ranchi tomorrow. Explaining his position, he admitted that about 10 months back, he had got a circular issued stating that "preference'' should be given to "locals'' in recruitment against third and fourth grade government positions in the districts.

He also clarified that a "local'' would be one who could establish through revenue records that he or his ancestors had land holdings in the area. When asked what would happen to the large number of people who were landless and could produce no revenue records, his answer was that the State would undertake a "social survey''. In a State where 50 per cent of the population was below the poverty line, Mr. Marandi said it was not unfair to suggest that preferential treatment should be given to the sons of the soil.

It was not clear what would happen to the thousands of Bihari and Bengali families settled in Jharkhand for several generations. Would they qualify as "locals'' domiciled in the State or be counted among "outsiders''?

Mr. Marandi seems to have opened up a Pandora's box, trying to gain some quick political brownie points by pitching the "local'' population against those from other States. It was also being said that he wanted an issue for the State Assembly elections scheduled next year, and this could get him the votes from those groups of people who may have otherwise been swayed towards Shibu Soren of the JMM(S).

Opposition parties have alleged that the BJP has been practising divisive politics everywhere although it talks big about "Indian first'' and patriotism.

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Marandi told to end strife