How Hemant Soren has destroyed the social fabric of Jharkhand

As someone who has grown up in Jharkhand, I have seen Jharkhand’s diverse cultural ethos as the state’s greatest strength as well as its distinctive identity. There was a seamless cohesiveness between the Adivasi and urban population (which itself was fairly diverse). Things are fairly different now. I was in Ranchi and Jamshedpur for three days last week and was shocked by the levels of despair among both the tribal and non-tribal population in the state due to a non performing, unaccountable state government. First of all, the entire Santhal Pargana area, particularly Sahebgunj, Godda, Rajmahal, Jamtara, has become the hub of radicalisation and encroachment by Islamists. The issue gets reiterated every now and then with the brutal murder of Adivasi women, who are lured and trapped by Muslim men. The latest case of the barbaric murder of Rabika Pahadan, a Santhal woman, by Dildar Ansari and his family members is a stark reminder of the scourge that has now become commonplace in Santhal Parganas and is spreading to other districts. Here, there is a clear pattern: Love Jihad is linked to Land Jihad. End objective is the encroachment or purchase of land through the trapped Adivasi woman, who often gets killed, if she refuses to convert. All top BJP leaders in Jharkhand, including state president Deepak Prakash, have repeatedly raised the issue of illegal Bangladeshis in Santhal Parganas and their modus operandi. In fact, the issue has flared up on several occasions in the last one year and also been picked up by news channels. But the sheer indifference of Chief Minister Hemant Soren is baffling. Even after the ghastly murder of Rabika Pahadan, the CM’s reaction was to normalise it by saying such incidents keep happening. Till date, the case has not been fast-tracked. Earlier this year in August, when 16-year-old Ankita was burnt to death by Shahrukh and Naeem, the CM remained occupied in a picnic with his MLAs. Timely action of shifting Ankita to Delhi could have saved her life. In fact, even the early part of the investigation was botched up by a complicit police officer, who had to be removed after unending protests. The big question here is: Is CM Hemant Soren hand in glove with the banned PFI and is aiding it recoup and gain fresh ground in Jharkhand particularly in the areas of Santhal Parganas? If Love Jihad has assumed dangerous proportions in north Jharkhand, in south Jharkhand, the CM has tried his best to create a divide between the tribals and non-tribals. The current controversy revolves around his attempt to hastily push through the contentious Khatiyan Bill. The Khatiyan Bill aims to fix land records of 1932 as the basis to determine the state’s domicile and employment policy to reserve class III & IV government jobs for the locals. The Khatiyan Bill replaces the previous domicile law introduced in the state in 2016 by Raghubar Das, which was dumped by the Soren government. The BJP believes that the new domicile law requires greater scrutiny and the hasty manner in which Soren had passed it in the Jharkhand Assembly and now wants it included in the 9th Schedule, is a diversionary tactic to escape censure over the gruelling unemployment problem in the state. The CM’s repeated attempts to denigrate the Bhojpuri-speaking population in the state or his irresponsible assertions of “Adivasis not being Hindus” are a mala fide attempt to create an unhealthy divide and pit his vote-bank against others. His myopic and petty agenda has equally resulted in him unleashing the ugliest episodes of self-aggrandisement — the mining scam being the worst example. Things have reached such a pass in Jharkhand that in almost all districts now, the youth have started mass protests against the inability of the state government to provide employment and its corrupt practices. The sense of abject despondency that Soren has created with his all-round failure, is very discouraging for the aspirations of the young state. The writer is an author and BJP spokesperson. Views expressed are personal. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .