Laloo with JMM faction leaders: master manipulatorWhile Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav cannot be faulted for his division, he got his quotient all wrong.The split he engineered in the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) may have averted an immediate threat to his minority government but the fight for supremacy he has unleashed in the Jharkhand region may create a serious law and order problem for his government. Worse, Laloo has sent a strong JMM faction- with 10 of the 19 MLAs and four of the six MPs of the party- straight into the welcoming arms of the Congress(I).In a House of 325, Laloo still has the support of 170-odd members, including MLAs of the CPI, the CPI(M) and a JMM faction. But in the Jharkhand region where the Janata Dal is weak, Laloo will now be denied the backing of the "natural leaders" of the tribals such as the JMM chief Shibu Soren. Says JMM Vice-President Suraj Mandal: "This is the beginning of the end of Laloo's rule.".preferred-source-banner{ margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}But the Jharkhand movement, which was on an all-time high till recently, is no better off. There will now be many groups competing for the mantle of the movement, where there had once been only the JMM. The JMM troika of Soren, Mandal and General Secretary Shailendra Mahto have announced plans to intensify the stir.The pro-Laloo faction led by Krishna Maradi, MP, has gone one step further. It has decided to form a new front with the CPI, IPF, All Jharkhand Students Union and Jharkhand People's Party. The idea is to counter the growing clout of the BJP which has 21 MLAs out of the 81 from the region and has launched its own Vananchal movement. Though the immediate provocation for the split was the induction of former Union minister Subodh Kant Sahay into the JMM, the chasm between the party and Laloo had been widening for some time.The breaking point came on June 29 when Laloo declared in the Assembly: "How can we pass a resolution on a separate state? Because what will happen then to the Khalistan and Kashmir demands?" It had the desired effect: Soren announced the snapping of ties with the National Front. With the contours of political agitation in the volatile Jharkhand region having changed so drastically, the movement to alter the map of Bihar may take a while to bear fruit.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Dec 31, 2012--- ENDS ---
