* Shibu Soren signed the file that ordered the posting of BK Tripathi as his principal secretary. But even before the personnel department could notify it, the Jharkhand chief minister reversed his own order, and allowed Sukhdeo Singh to continue on his post
* Private TV channels recorded Soren?s announcement that he would contest the Assembly by-poll from Dumka. The very next day, he insisted to media persons: ?Nothing has been decided till now?
* Soren gave his nod to Polus Surin, a Maoist-turned-JMM MLA, who is in jail, facing serious charges of murder, illegal possession of arms and ransom. Surin submitted his resignation, in order that ?Guruji? could contest the Assembly by-poll from his constituency, Torpa. But soon after that, the chief minister in search of a constituency made a declaration that he would not contest from Torpa, prompting Surin to withdraw his resignation
Ever since he was sworn in as chief minister for the third time on December 30 2009, Shibu Soren has taken decisions only to reverse them at the behest of his son Hemant, widely known to be the de facto CM of the beleaguered state.
In Jharkhand, the transition of JMM leadership from father to son, has been done sometimes openly, and mostly by stealth. ?Most transfers and postings of SPs, deputy commissioners, Dy SPs and SDMs in the four month tenure of the latest Soren government were notified by the personnel department at the diktat of Hemant. Although he did not figure in any official records, top posts like chief secretary and DGP were filled up only after Hemant?s approval?, says a senior IAS officer.
?What?s wrong with that?? counters JMM MLA and minister Mathura Prasad Mahato. ?In contemporary politics, the son inheriting the leadership of the party from his mother or father is unexceptionable. Apart from Sonia Gandhi?s son Rahul, there are several examples of this like Karunanidhi?s son Stalin and Bal Thackeray?s son Uddhav. We must accept it and not single out Soren?.
Mahato is not alone among JMM MLAs to have accepted Hemant?s claim to be his father?s political heir. This became evident when he was unanimously elected as the JMM?s legislature party leader earlier this year. ?If any party MLA had an objection, he should have opposed his election. This did not happen. But now when Hemant has begun to lead the party, there is a hue and cry?, says JMM MLA Akeel Akhter.
Although it is not entirely clear how many of the JMM?s 18 MLAs are ready to swim or sink with Hemant, a vertical split in the party seemed inevitable last week as its two factions battled over the formation of the new government led by .
Mathura and Akhter and their five colleagues including Simon Marandi and Teklal Mahato, old hats in the party, have been locked in a battle of supremacy within the JMM with Soren and Hemant backing the former.
Their feud took a sharp turn last week when the BJP announced its decision to withdraw support to the JMM-led government, prompting Soren to apologise and agree to step down as CM to make way for a BJP chief minister with Hemant becoming his deputy. ?We will quit the party, but not accept the leadership of Hemant?, said Mahato.