Amidst speculation that Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha president Hemant Soren will vote for BJP Presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu, State capital Ranchi will be the first campaign stop for Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha.
So far, Mr. Soren has not made a formal comment but party insiders claim that in all likelihood, the JMM will vote for Ms. Murmu. Both Ms. Murmu and Mr. Soren belong to the Santhal tribe.
It is a particularly tricky problem for Mr. Soren since he supported the idea of a common candidate and sent out his representative for the first round of the joint Opposition meeting on June 15. Interestingly, the JMM was not present at Tuesday’s meeting, where Mr. Sinha’s name was finalised. The Congress is a key ally in the Jharkhand government. At the same time, with Ms. Murmu being the first tribal leader in line for the President’s post, it will be difficult for the JMM – a party born out of tribal movement – to oppose her.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Sinha asserted that it was a contest of ideas. “This is not a battle of identity, it is a battle of ideology. And if identity was the parameter, then it can go to ridiculous depths. The JMM has deliberately chosen not to be with the BJP and one hopes that this fundamental sentiment will prevail,” he said. Mr. Sinha has thrice represented the Hazaribagh Lok Sabha constituency in Jharkhand. On June 24, he will be in Ranchi and the next day, he will visit Patna.
In a statement released to the media later, he said, “Leaders of one ideology are hell-bent on throttling the Constitution. They believe India's Rashtrapati should not function with a mind of her/his own and should merely serve as a rubber stamp to do the government's bidding. I am proud to belong to the other ideology that is determined to save the Constitution and the Republic.
The Opposition parties have been criticised for picking a former BJP leader to counter the BJP. Mr. Sinha said this criticism was invalid since he served in a “different BJP”. “The BJP which I served is not the BJP of today under the present leadership. I was forced to leave the BJP because the present organisation does not follow the principles of L.K. Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In fact, when I quit the BJP, I was told that I am jeopardising the future of my son [BJP MP Jayant Sinha],” Mr. Sinha added.
