Soren’s arrest casts shadow on JMM foundation day function

Dumka: Arrest of former chief minister Hemant Soren ahead of JMM’s 45th Jharkhand Diwas programme, usually organised on February 2 at Gandhi Maidan here to mark the foundation day of the party, has cast a shadow on it. Unlike previous years when the party’s central leadership used to camp here for days before the event, which became a major platform for the party to demonstrate its political might ever since the days of the separate statehood movement led by party chief Shibu Soren, this time the local party functionaries are managing the affairs.Ever since venturing into electoral politics, Hemant used to lead the massive rally of JMM supporters to reach the historical Gandhi Maidan, the venue where thousands of party supporters mostly tribals wait for hours to listen to Guruji as Shibu Soren is commonly referred to as by his admirers. This apart, MPs and MLAs of the party belonging to Santhal Pargana division, and senior party functionaries of the district units also address the rally which this time assumes more significance in the backdrop of the impending parliamentary and assembly elections this year.Former speaker and senior JMM leader Shashank Shekhar Bhokta who was spotted reviewing the arrangements for the rally admitted that Wednesday's development marred the preparations. “The party MLAs are in a state of confusion owing to the prevailing political situation after the arrest of our high command. Yet the programme will take place as per its conventional schedule," Bhokta said, adding that the event would reflect the prevailing anguish among the common electorates against the CM’s arrest."The entire preparatory work for the February 2 event are going on uninterruptedly though we are disappointed after the arrest of our leader Hemant Soren ji by the ED," Ravi Yadav, the president of the town unit of the JMM said, adding that buses were being dispatched to far away places to bring people to Dumka to attend the annual event. Organisers also claimed that this time the programme would break all records as Soren’s arrest sparked widespread resentment among common people. “The way he was arrested by the ED, it will not go down well with the common people who will turn up in large numbers to demonstrate their solidarity with their leader,” Mohammed Salam Ansari, spokesperson of JMM's Dumka district unit, said.