Decode Politics: PM Modi says JMM ally RJD once opposed Jharkhand. Did it?

On Wednesday, hitting back at the BJP, the RJD reiterated that the party was not opposed to the formation of Jharkhand but to the “unjust” distribution of resources between Jharkhand and Bihar from which the tribal state was carved out.

How was Jharkhand created?

Jharkhand was one of the three new states that were created in 2000 during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government with the other two being Chhattisgarh (carved out from Madhya Pradesh) and Uttaranchal (now Uttarakhand, carved out from Uttar Pradesh).

Then Union Home Minister L K Advani moved the Bihar Reorganisation Bill in the Lok Sabha on August 2, 2000, following which it was passed. The Rajya Sabha passed the Bill on August 11 that year and the state of Jharkhand officially came into existence on November 15, 2000.

What did RJD MPs say in LS debate?

Demanding the withdrawal of the Bill, RJD MP from Vaishali, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh charged that Jharkhand was being created for “political reasons”. “On the basis of all the documents and proof, I would like to say that Jharkhand is not going to develop with these arrangements. It will remain poor and so will Bihar. They (BJP-led Centre) are forming a new state for political reasons. If you are not forming it keeping political considerations, why are you spending so little?” Singh had said and demanded that the Bill be referred to a Standing Committee or a Joint Committee or a Joint Select Committee. The RJD’s Maharajganj MP, Prabhunath Singh too echoed Raghuvansh’s views.

Nagmani, the Chatra MP, pointed out that the Bihar Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution in support of Jharkhand’s formation. “We, on behalf of the RJD, want to say that the state of Jharkhand may be created. But we demand a special package to make good the damages caused by the annual floods,” he had said.

Samata Party MP from Khagaria, Renu Kumari too supported the formation of the new state and also highlighted the resolution passed in the Bihar Assembly. “No one was expecting that a year after the Lalu government passed the resolution supporting the formation of Jharkhand, the head of the government (Lalu, although his wife Rabri Devi was then CM) would say that the state would be formed over his dead body and that the people of North-Central Bihar would face starvation,” she said.

What was Advani’s reply?

Replying to the debate, Advani said the Centre would be accountable and will tackle the financial difficulties of Bihar.

“When small states were created, prima-facie it seemed that these will not be viable economically. Still, they desired that their state should be created… The reason behind this desire is that they want their identity to shine… Though it may not be financially viable, it has its importance and everyone knows the importance of financial viability. It becomes the duty of the nation to worry about the financial viability of a state,” Advani said.

What is RJD’s stand?

The RJD maintains that Lalu was not opposed to the formation of Jharkhand but only wanted “justice in division”. “After bifurcation, while 80% of Bihar’s resources went to Jharkhand, 80% of the population stayed in Bihar. Modi must answer why economic injustice was meted out to Bihar during division,” RJD national spokesperson Nawal Kishore said.

How has RJD fared in Jharkhand polls?

After the inception of Jharkhand, the RJD’s political fortunes in the new state declined. In the first Jharkhand Assembly elections held in 2005, the party won only seven of the 51 seats it contested. Five years later, it won only five of the 56 seats it contested.

In the 2014 polls, the RJD contested 14 seats but drew a blank while in 2019, it contested seven seats but managed to win only one – Chatra.

In the upcoming polls, the RJD will contest seven seats as part of the incumbent JMM-led alliance which also include the Congress and the CPI (ML)L.