Raghubar Das: Modi's man for Jharkhand

For an extraordinary journey like the one that Raghubar Das has had - a Tata Steel labourer-on-leave leaping from his humble origins to reach Jharkhand's chief minister chair - he needed a sizeable slice of luck.

And perhaps a slice of bad luck for others as well. Somewhat ironically, Raghubar has almost always risen at someone else's expense, achieving all his career breakthroughs being the cause or the beneficiary of someone else's fall. Sometimes both.

Raghubar contested his first assembly polls in 1995 because BJP denied ticket to the Jamshedpur East seat sitting legislator Dinanath Pandey, someone for whom he had campaigned in 1990. Though a livid Pandey rebelled and contested as an independent to finish a poor third; Raghubar as BJP candidate scraped through with a margin of 1,101 votes.

Now, years later in December 2014, Raghubar Das, 59, could emerge unchallenged as a BJP legislature party leader only because the BJP's three-term chief minister Arjun Munda had a shock defeat from Kharsawan. Had Munda not lost, he would have been a stronger contender for the state's top post.

Although 13 years younger, Munda's biggest plus has been his tribal identity, something that Das does not have. For years, it was a qualification considered a prerequisite to get the top job in Ranchi.All the five individuals - Babulal Marandi, Shibu Soren, Arjun Munda, Madhu Koda and Hemant Soren - who have donned Jharkhand's chief minister's post nine times before Raghubar Das took over on December 28, are tribal leaders.  But, the BJP did not have a suitably senior tribal leader to fall back upon after Munda's defeat. It allowed Narendra Modi and Amit Shah pick Das as Jharkhand's first non-tribal chief minister.

Prior to 2014, Raghubar Das has always lived in the shadows in Jharkhand. It was first Babulal Marandi and then always Arjun Munda who called the shots in the BJP. As Munda hogged the limelight, Das only waited patiently for an opportunity.

The opportunity emerged after December 2009 Assembly polls when BJP agreed to back a JMM-led government. Picked as the BJP legislature party leader, Raghubar took over as deputy chief Minister in the Shibu Soren led JMM-BJP government.

It was a big leap, which alarmed his detractors in the BJP. They got their chance in May 2010 when Shibu Soren - who was still a member of Parliament - "accidentally" voted against a BJP's sponsored cut motion in the Lok Sabha Lower House. The BJP withdrew support from the JMM-led coalition government; and Das's short stint as deputy chief minister where he impressed many with his working habits ended abruptly. But within three months, the BJP under Nitish Gadkari-spurred into action by Arjun Munda- changed its "nothing -to-do-with-JMM" policy. Another coalition government-this one headed by BJP's Arjun Munda and backed by JMM-took over in September 2010.  

Raghubar Das - till then the leader of BJP legislature party-was made to step down in Arjun Munda's favour. Worse, Raghubar Das, who was deputy chief minister till only three months ago, was even ignored for a ministerial berth. Arjun Munda ruled for next 860 days; and Raghubar remained marginalised.

Not that Das did not try to assert his leadership; or showed the rebellion streaks in him; but he found himself hitting a brick wall every time he tried to intervene. Das did not attend Munda's cabinet expansion exercise in October 2010. He even vacated the post of state BJP chief to show his dissent but even that cut little ice with the central leadership. Instead, Arjun Munda's confidant Dineshanand Goswami was allowed to succeed Das as state BJP chief. Das's isolation was complete.

The situation remained unchanged when Lal Krishna Advani, then BJP's supreme leader, visited Ranchi in October 2011 in course of his Jan Chetna rally. Das, thinking to convert it into an opportunity, presented Advani a copy of a local newspaper that had a front page report on the wastage of coal and oil by state controlled power plants. With then chief minister Arjun Munda holding the energy portfolio, it was clear who Das was hitting at. But, his move boomeranged. Advani rebuffed Das, who was sitting next to him on the stage. In his eight-minute speech, Advani also showered accolades on Munda without saying a word on Das's whistle blowing.

Das remained in wilderness for four-and-half years since May 2010; which was like ages in a state infamous for having seen nine governments in first 14 years of its existence. Das, a BJP's state president in 2004-05 and 2009-10, had to struggle to stay relevant.

With his nose to the grindstone, detractors to quieten and a career to save, Das hung on, contributing his bit as an organisation man. Das was finally noticed when the BJP won 12 of Jharkhand's 14 seats in the Lok Sabha polls. Things started looking better in August when Das was elevated as the party's national vice-president in Amit Shah's team. It clearly brought him at the forefront as contender for Jharkhand's top job. Das was only the fourth man from Jharkhand after Babulal Marandi, Yashwant Sinha and Karia Munda to hold the chair of BJP national vice-president. This meant Amit Shah had bigger plans for him.

Since Raghubar was not active in national politics like Yashwant Sinha and Karia Munda, there was speculation that the BJP leadership expected him to follow the footsteps of Babulal Marandi, Jharkhand's first chief minister.

To Das's advantage, Munda had thrice been chief minister before. His governance left much to be desired. As Assembly election approached; many thought the BJP needed a fresh face and Das was emerging stronger. As Das put in all efforts to strengthen party's organisational base in the run up to the Assembly polls, he still faced multiple challenges. With a powerful section averse to his emergence as a leader of the saffron pack; even doing his bit for the organisation was fraught with difficulties - the closer to the finishing line he got, the harder, more nerve-racking it became. The BJP played safe and did not declare a chief ministerial candidate; though Raghubar detractors kept on whispering how not declaring a tribal as chief ministerial candidate would cost the BJP seats.

He was finally declared BJP legislature party leader on December 26.Before this elevation, the unremitting organisation man Raghubar Das was known as just an able second-in-command, a facilitator but never a face. But, the "second fiddle", has finally produced music.

Raghubar's electoral record - the five-term legislator has never lost an election in his career - also places him head and shoulders above others in a state infamous as the heavyweights' Waterloo. While Shibu Soren had to quit as chief minister in January 2009 after he lost a by-election despite being in office; the recently concluded Assembly poll has been particularly severe, with every former chief minister-and also every former deputy chief minister except Raghubar of course-biting the dust.

Das's control over his aggression has perhaps helped him most. He has showed dissent in the past; but always been politically correct. He has never uttered a word against Arjun Munda in public even when the later marginalised him in Jharkhand. When Munda lost the assembly poll this December, Das visited his house for a cup of tea.But the niceties do not mean that Raghubar does not know his politics. On December 28, when Raghubar took oath as Jharkhand's tenth chief minister, he ensured that Neelkanth Munda was one of the three cabinet Ministers sworn in with him.In October 2010, while expanding his cabinet; Arjun Munda had ignored two BJP leaders: Raghubar Das and Neelkanth Munda. When he skipped Arjun Munda's October 2010 cabinet expansion function as a mark of protest, Neelkanth too had followed suit. Both have been waiting to bounce back since then. Now, Raghubar is clearly projecting Neelkanth as a parallel Munda leader, much to the chagrin of Arjun Munda.

Though he is the first chief minister with a clear majority, Das has started trying to convey the impression of a man in a hurry. Immediately after the oath taking ceremony, Raghubar picked the broom in downtown Ranchi to be a part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet project.At his first day in office, Das got cracking, demanding a turnaround on law and order and personally overseeing blanket distribution among poor. He has also ordered no blaring of siren in his cavalcade. No wonder, the number of Raghubar Das's friends has swelled to reach 5,000 on the Facebook after December 23 when Jharkhand Assembly election results were declared. So you can't be his friend now on Facebook. One can only "follow" him there.  

Raghubar Das

Age: 59 years. Son of Late Chavan Ram. An employee with the Tata Steel plant.

Political Career: Made a beginning in the JP Movement under Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Morcha . He was also jailed during the Emergency. He later joined Janata Party; switched over to BJP when the party was formed in 1980.

BJP Leap: Appointed national Vice President in August this year under Amit Shah. Earlier state party Chief (2004-05 and 2009-10).Very good organiser; a no-nonsense person but stubborn and a tad emotional. Elected MLA five times on the trot from 1995. 

Persional habits: A vegetarian, likes the simple cuisine of Daal-Roti, Aalu Bhujia.