CITY | Monday, November 2, 2009 | Email | Print | 
Will Cong atone for propping Madhu Koda
Sidharth Mishra
In January 2008, The Pioneer launched its Ranchi edition. Being responsible for the launch, I started visiting Ranchi from the monsoon of 2008. Staying at the colonial BNR Hotel and enjoying in the chugging in and chugging out of the trains in the backdrop of the continuous rainfall was a wonderful experience away from the maddening metropolis of the national Capital.
With the edition yet to start, the work at the office would end early and the evenings would be spent either lazing in the huge verandah of the hotel sitting on a cane chair or visiting the favourite watering hole of the city — the century-old Ranchi Club. With Madhu Koda at the helm of affairs, the morning news and evening gossip would largely focus on the “achievements” of this extra-ordinary politician.
My trips to Ranchi, given the State’s rich green ambience and a Muqaddar Ka Sikandar as the Chief Minister, often made me think of being transported into the lands where Hollywood actors Bud Spencer and Terence Hill would have their adventure on the silver screen. Sometimes the newspapers would be full of reports on Koda throwing a tea party for his wife returning home. The other times they would have reports of his Ministers, all independent MLAs, going berserk.
The rise of Madhu Koda is reflective of an extra-ordinary phenomenon in Indian politics. Trained under the watchful eyes of the RSS, Koda turned rebel and brought down the BJP Government in the State and with the help of the Congress, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and the Rashtriya Janata Dal propped a Government with independent MLAs as Cabinet members.
How did he manage to stay put — a typical case of several quick-fix political structures helping to hold each other. The Congress needed the support of the RJD and the JMM to run the UPA-I Government at the Centre. The RJD wanted the BJP out of power in Ranchi to fix the fodder scam cases lodged against the party boss Lalu Prasad and his family. With JMM chief Shibu Soren continuing to have his brush with law and languishing behind the bar, Koda was found to be the most Suitable Boy to become groom at an illegitimate political marriage.
Not a day would pass with the talk of Koda going within a few days but he survived on the lack of sufficient political luck of others especially Shibu Soren. I recall veteran Jharkhand politician and Lok Sabha MP Inder Singh Namdhari mentioning to Koda at the function to mark the launch of the paper, “Are Koda jab tak muqaddar tere sath hai tab tak tujhe kaun hata sakta hai (Till the time luck favours you, who can remove you).”
Luck has finally run out for Madhu Koda. The Congress doesn’t need him anymore. His benefactor Lalu Prasad Yadav is busy defending his position and in no position to come to his rescue. The enforcement agencies have started to crack down. The raids conducted by the Income Tax Department and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at 70 places in eight States associated with Madhu Koda and his associates, Sanjay Chaudhary and Binod Kumar Sinha, on Saturday last made a preliminary revelation of unaccounted assets and investments of about Rs 2,000 crore. This includes investments in companies in Mumbai, Kolkata and Lucknow to the tune of Rs 1,500 crore and Rs 400-500 crore in hawala transactions.
This money was meant for the development of the backward tribal State, which corrupt politicians with the help of his cohorts siphoned off to their personal coffers. Jharkhand Governor K Sankaranarayanan is correct in claiming, “We certainly cannot blame the Maoists for everything. One needs a human approach to deal with the situation. The youth today needs jobs and income, the first priority of the State should be to develop the tribal areas. You obviously cannot keep ice slabs under hot sun.”
True His Excellency but who is to be blamed for propping up the likes of Madhu Koda. The fall of the Arjun Munda Government and foisting of Madhu Koda was orchestrated from the precincts of the Raj Bhawan by the present incumbent’s predecessor Syed Sibte Razi. Sankaranarayanan’s predecessor worked as the emissary of the Centre as the present incumbent is also acting. The difference between the two being that Razi acted as the hatchet man whereas Sankaranarayanan is performing role of a reformer.
If I recall correctly, it’s said somewhere in one of the holy scriptures that god has ordained different role for everybody. So it seems has the Congress high command. Sankaranarayanan and Razi are not the only characters dancing on the diktats of the Centre. I recall my good friend Ajay Maken, who was used to be the incharge of the Jharkhand Congress when Koda was at the helm, crying hoarse on asking the Chief Minister to mend his corrupt ways or face the music.
A veteran reporter of Jharkhand had then commented, “I hope Mr Maken doesn’t face the music for making situation too hot for Koda.” He was correct. Maken was eased out of Jharkhand and what followed were several months of political fracas with Koda being replaced by Shibu Soren, who in turn lost the Assembly bypoll leading to the imposition of Central rule in the State.
These acts were played out from a script which had the approval of the Congress high command. The Congress is trying to atone for its sins committed during the UPA-I by letting loose enforcement agencies. Legally, the Congress cannot be held responsible for the crimes committed by Madhu Koda but morally it has to answer for creating a political monster.
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