Jharkhand’s Adivasis See Hemant Soren’s Arrest As Plot Against Tribal CM, Blow On Indigenous Polity

For Jharkhand-based writer Vandana Tete, the arrest of Hemant Soren by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday in the alleged land misappropriation case brings up an undeniable political reality: since the formation of the state in 2000, no tribal chief minister has been able to govern for a full term.

“An outsider and a non-tribal —a ‘diku’ [outsider]— may remain the Chief Minister of Jharkhand for five years, but the owners of this state, the tribals, are not allowed the same achievement. You can see that in the past 23 years, no tribal chief minister has been able to complete the term of five years. After all, why was a government with an absolute majority toppled? Just because the head of that government was a tribal,” says Tete, a noted expert on the state’s language, literature, and tribal culture.

In December 2019, the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ (Grand Alliance) comprising Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Congress, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) won a full majority, and Soren was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand. He looked all set to make history as the first tribal chief minister to rule for a full term, but, just 11 months before the completion of his tenure, he had to resign before his arrest, thus joining instead the ranks of his tribal predecessors who vacated the post before five years.

Tete expresses her solidarity with Soren and that of the tribal society in general. Communicating their anger over the matter, she says, “The tribal society of the state condemns the arrest of Hemant Soren. The central government and the national agencies have been after the government for the past two years and conspired to destabilise a tribal government that enjoys a full majority.

In the 23 years since its formation, Jharkhand has had 11 CMs and has been under the President's Rule four times. There were tribal CMs in the coalition governments of both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) of Congress, including Babulal Marandi (BJP), Arjun Munda (BJP), Madhu Koda (Independent), Shibu Soren (JMM), Raghubar Das (BJP), and Hemant Soren (JMM). At present, after Hemant Soren’s resignation, there is no government in the state. His successor, Champai Soren, is the 12th CM of Jharkhand.

Tete says that Das, whom she calls ‘diku’, “was allowed to complete his tenure because he passed on the loot of state resources to the central government”, but when a tribal CM —Soren— speaks about the rights of the tribals over their jal, jungle, and jameen (water, forests, and land), “every effort is made to crush his government”.

Many tribal and indigenous organisations across the state have protested against Soren’s arrest. Dayamani Barla, the ‘Iron Lady of Jharkhand’ and convenor of the Adivasi Moolvasi Astitva Raksha Manch, likened Soren to the intrepid Birsa Munda, Siddhu-Kanhu, and Chand-Bhairo.

Birla said, “Hemant Soren takes forward the legacy of his tribal ancestors. He did not capitulate to the forces of Narendra Modi and the BJP that wanted to destroy him and his state. The young Hemant did not kneel before the BJP’s politics, just as the tribals never bowed before the British. He did not compromise on the fight for water, forests, and land. He is Jharkhand’s son of the soil. He is brave. Kudos to him and best wishes. Today, all the people of Jharkhand stand with him. This is just the beginning of the fight.”

Jerome Gerald, Secretary of the Central Jansangharsh Committee (Latehar and Gumla), has also condemned the arrest as well. He said, “The Committee condemns the way the Enforcement Directorate has arrested Hemant Soren. This has been done at the behest of the central government. A tribal CM is being suppressed. We commend Hemant for the way he has fought for the tribals and our water, forests, and land. The Committee and the tribal society stand shoulder to shoulder with him in his struggle.”

Meanwhile, activist Ratan Tirkey warned that the arrest of Soren is an indication to Jharkhand’s tribal society that the same fate is going to befall it in the coming days.

“The arrest has created a constitutional crisis in the state and it has sent the wrong message to the tribals. We have learnt that the traditional tribal organisations of the state are holding meetings. They cannot help feeling that with the arrest of Chief Minister Soren, the entire tribal society has been attacked. This is not a good sign. We have repeatedly requested the Governor to get us out of this constitutional crisis,” said Tirkey, a former member of the Jharkhand Tribal Advisory Council.

Tirkey added that the tribals’ displeasure also extends to Governor CP Radhakrishnan. They point to how in Bihar, Nitish Kumar’s resignation was accepted and he was sworn in again as the Chief Minister all within a day and contrast it with the way Radhakrishnan in Jharkhand dragged his feet over allowing a majority-holding alliance to form the government.