M A I N   N E W S

MCC-JMM bid to unleash terror on D-Day
From Santosh Jha

PATNA, Nov 8 — The MCC code words, containing commands to its cadre, are in the air in the Jharkhand region. “Move to Kanyakumari” is the specific order. Some of the hardcore troublemakers of the MCC have been given “Bhanwari” signal and others “Halfa”.

An estimated 5,000 ultras are out in an around the Jharkhand state capital Ranchi to unleash a series of devastation and killings on November 8. The orders are to prevent the swearing in ceremony of Mr Babu Lal Marandi as the Chief Minister at any cost. Perceiving serious trouble on D-Day, seven companies of paramilitary forces have been despatched to Ranchi and more are likely to move in the next two days.

In the meantime, thousands of JMM activists and tribal supporters have been instructed to flock to the swearing-in venue with traditional weapons and disrupt the event with all their might. It seems the induction of the first government in Jharkhand will be historical with all the worst of trappings.

The MCC had announced quite early that it would carry out a major carnage on the day the NDA government took oath. The command to “move to Kanyakumari” means moving south, ‘Bhanwari’ means to swoop down on the target and ‘Halfa’ signifies fanning out. The MCC is against the BJP Mr Marandi himself is top on the hit list of the MCC.

The JMM has been successful of late in fanning the tribal sentiment against the “dikkus (outsiders)”. Together they are out to create trouble. Already the tribal attacks on the outsiders or non-tribals have started. The tribals are learnt to be asking the “dikkus” to vacate their houses. “Jal, jungle aur jamin le kar rahenge” is their solgan.

Jharkhand CM issue still ‘open’
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Nov 8 — With six time Lok Sabha MP Karia Munda giving a jolt to the party by declining the offer of a junior minister in the Union Cabinet, the BJP high command is at loss to evolve an effective strategy for a damage control exercise.

While the BJP senior Vice-President and the official spokesman, Mr K. Jana Krishnamurthi, today told newspersons in response to persistent queries that the question of the Jharkhand Chief Minister was open, the BJP Secretary in charge of Jharkhand, Mr Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, told TNS that “a unanimous decision on the issue has already been taken and it will be announced at the right time”.

Mr Naqvi said a decision on Jharkhand Chief Minister was arrived in a consultation process in which the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, the Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, the party President, Mr Bangaru Laxman, and other leaders of the party had participated.

A meeting of the legislators of the Jharkhand had been convened at Patna tomorrow, Mr Naqvi said.

Even as Mr Naqvi stood by the decision to make the former Minister of State for Environment and Forest, Mr Babu Lal Marandi, who resigned from the Council of Ministers at the behest of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Monday, the first Chief Minister of Jharkhand, a senior leader and former BJP Vice-President, Mr Jagdish Prasad Mathur, said the decision on Jharkhand had not been finalised yet.

The BJP Vice-President, Mr Kailashpati Mishra, who had gone on record, saying that the decision to induct Mr Karia Munda into the Cabinet was taken in haste, had rushed to Patna for eliciting the opinion of the party legislators.

While officially, Mr Mishra had gone to Patna to participate in a farewell function organised for the MLAs going to Jharkhand, sources said he had gone there to placate some MLAs who had expressed their resentment over the treatment meted out to Mr Munda.

Mr Mishra and party General Secretary Narendra Modi had extensive discussions yesterday on the issue.

The sources said the Prime Minister was keen to have Mr Munda as the first Jharkhand Chief Minister but Mr Advani was pushing the case of Mr Marandi. Mr Advani finally succeeded in apparently convincing Mr Vajpayee to have Mr Marandi.

The decision had to be announced later but the Prime Minister suddenly decided to have a Cabinet expansion in which Mr Munda was offered a minister of state berth.

Mr Munda, who was a Cabinet minister in the 13-day government of Mr Vajpayee in 1996, was obviously hurt as he was not only being denied his rightful claim on the chief ministership of Jharkhand, but also being treated on a par with Mr Marandi who was much junior to him.