Silent Treatment

The precipitous has become the protracted in Jharkhand. And with it, the fate of the state's chief minister, Hemant Soren, continues to hang in the balance.

- Amitabh Srivastava

Uncertainty looms large over his assembly membership and his chief ministership, ever since the Election Commission of India (ECI) on August 25 reportedly sent its opinion on his disqualification as an MLA to the Jharkhand Raj Bhavan in a sealed envelope. Governor Ramesh Bais, on his part, has been holding his cards close to his chest, breaking his two-month-long silence only to reveal that he had sought a "second opinion" on the issue.

Speaking to a private news channel after Diwali at his hometown Raipur, Bais did hint that a "bomb could explode any time in Jharkhand". The governor's rather casual utterance has further agitated the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), which sees in this delay a "deliberate ploy" to destabilise the government. Moreover, Article 192 of the Indian Constitution, which deals with the disqualification of assembly members, makes no reference to a "second opinion", the JMM alleges.

Earlier, on October 15, as Soren teracted with the media in state capital Ranchi, he described Bais's silence as nothing short of a punishment: "Jo situation mein aaj main hoon, Mahamahim ki silence mere liye punishment se kam nahin hai." The CM went on to compare his situation with that of a suspect begging to be punished if found guilty.