Four chief ministers from the Northeast on Friday sprung to the defence of Narendra Modi after their Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren claimed that the Prime Minister on Thursday shared his “mann ki baat” on the Covid-19 situation during a telephone call instead of also listening to what he had to say on the pandemic.
Soon after the call from Modi on Thursday night, Soren tweeted in Hindi that it would have been better had the Prime Minister talked — and heard — about “kaam ki baat (important issues)” instead of sharing his “mann ki baat”.
Mann Ki Baat is a radio broadcast hosted by Modi on the last Sunday of a month where he touches upon topical issues and inspiring achievements.
Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio was the first chief minister from the Northeast to respond to Soren’s tweet followed by his Mizoram and Assam counterparts. Rio even nudged Soren to retract his statement.
“In my experience as a Chief Minister for several tenures, Honourable @PMOIndiaShri @narendramodi has always been sensitive to the concerns of the states, particularly of the Northeast states. I disagree with Shri @HemantSorenJMM and I hope retracts his statement,” Rio tweeted.
Modi also discussed the Covid-19 situation with the chief ministers of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha on Thursday.
Mizoram chief minister and MNF leader Zoramthanga followed Rio by praising an “active, attentive and very responsive” Modi.
“We are really fortunate to have an active, attentive and a very responsive Prime
Minister like Shri @narendramodi ji in times like this. I personally find it quite comforting, getting his calls; inquiring about my state’s Covid-19 situation, forest fires, refugee problems, etc,” Zoramthanga tweeted.
Around the same time, Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh claimed Modi’s calls are reassuring while urging Soren to “let the collective spirit be our guiding light”.
Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal found Soren’s attempts to “politicise” the issue unfortunate. “@HemantSorenJMM ji, it’s really unfortunate that you are trying to politicise the Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji’s concern and work for people. PM Modi ji’s every effort and action are only for the people and the Nation,” Sonowal tweeted.
Media reports quoting sources close to Soren, who leads the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha government in alliance with the RJD and the Congress, claimed that Modi had indulged in a monologue instead of hearing what the chief minister wanted to say or what he needed to cope with the crisis in his state, one of the worst affected by the pandemic.
Soren’s tweet has received over 66,000 likes and 11,000 comments, besides being re-tweeted over 27,000 times till 7pm.
The BJP rules Assam and Manipur and is an ally of the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) in Nagaland.
The Mizo National Front is in power in Mizoram. Both the MNF and the NDPP are part of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), a forum of non-Congress parties in the region floated by the BJP.
Himanta Biswa Sarma, convener of the NEDA and the man seen as one of the two contenders for the post of chief minister in Assam, had tweeted in Hindi on Thursday night that Soren’s tweet was unbecoming of a chief minister and made mockery of the people of Jharkhand whose plight Modi was trying to ascertain.
