Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren presented himself as a sensible leader at the virtual meeting of the Opposition that was convened by Sonia Gandhi last Friday.

“Hemant not only gave emphasis on consolidation of the Opposition forces but also put forward a sensible argument in its favour,” said a political observer.

Unlike in May when Soren was criticised by some for his remarks, his arguments rather drew attention this time, he further said, referring to Soren’s remarks after his virtual interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Covid situation in the state.

In May, Soren expressed his dissatisfaction over not being allowed to put his views during their interaction and termed that as another episode of Maan Ki Baat (the radio programme addressed by the Prime Minister at regular intervals), indicating their interaction was rather reduced to a monologue by Modi.

“Some, including his counterparts in a few other states, had then criticised Soren for his remarks but he drew applause this time,” the observer said, pointing out the views the chief minister expressed, particularly on the Israeli spyware Pegasus.

The workers and the peasants of the country were not much bothered about the use of the Pegasus as they were more concerned about the policy on farming and farmers and generation of employment opportunities, Soren had told the gathering of the Opposition leaders belonging to 19 different parties.

The Opposition should corner the central government with strong issued and there was no dearth those, the young chief minister further said, adding the Opposition needed to be more powerful by forging unity among various Opposition parties.

The country was facing a crisis as the Modi government was killing democracy by not listening to people’s representatives, Soren further said, accusing the central government.

“We should also demand that the pandemic induced by coronavirus be declared a national disaster in our country,” Soren further said, adding many families lost their bread earners while many others became paupers for meeting medical expenses.

They all need assistance but the central government had nothing other than MGNREGA to offer them in rural areas while it had absolutely nothing in urban areas, the chief minister further said.

“All this projected Hemant as a sensible leader the day before yesterday,” the observer concluded.