Family feud or power clash? Jharia’s ‘jethani-devrani’ poll battle fires up coal belt

JHARIA: In Jharia, India's largest coal belt, it's not the party flags or slogans that have the electorate identifying its two main candidates. "Woh dekho Purnima Neeraj Singh ki kaafila ja rahi hai (Look, it's Purnima Neeraj Singh's fleet passing by)," they say as they spot a long row of cars, each with 7007 number plates. That's Ragini Singh , they say when cars with 0045 number plates zoom past.

But that isn't the only way the two are identified here as Jharkhand goes to the polls on Wednesday. The big fight for Jharia is also known as the "jethhani-devrani" battle, with BJP candidate Ragini, the bahu of former trade union leader Suryadeo Singh, who controlled most of the coal belt for over two decades, pitted against Congress' Purnima, daughter-in-law of Suryadeo Singh's brother Raj Narain Singh.

Those close to the family say the murder of Purnima's husband Neeraj in 2017, followed by his cousin Sanjeev — Suryadeo Singh's son and then Jharia MLA who is married to Ragini — being made an accused in the case and lodged in Dhanbad jail since then, has made the battle an intense one.

It's also the story of shifting power centres, between Suryadeo Singh's house ‘Singh Mansion' and ‘Raghukul', the house Raj Narain Singh built.

Jharia's famous Singh Mansion versus Raghukul saga is the hot topic again, after political power — that remained centred for almost four decades in Singh Mansion since Suryadeo Singh became an MLA in 1977 and the mansion giving three more legislators after his death in 1991 — shifted to Raghukul in 2019 when Purnima, contesting on a Congress ticket, defeated Ragini.

This time around, the rivalry is back with its full intensity. Their camp offices, just a stone's throw away from each other at Jharia's Katras More, are buzzing with supporters, cars zooming in and out and top netas from Delhi, Ranchi and neighbouring Bihar and UP dropping in.

Ragini, however, doesn't believe it's a family feud. "Yeh media ka banaya hua kahani hai (It's a media creation). The fight is between the incumbent JMM alliance's corruption and deteriorating law and order under its governance on one hand and PM Narendra Modi's 'vikas' model on the other," Ragini told TOI during a rally in Patherdih.

However, asked if she is in touch with her sister-in-law, Ragini snaps, "Bilkul nahi."

Ragini though says she is pained by Neeraj's death. "He was working hard to make a place for himself. Many did not like this and had even threatened him. My husband, Sanjeev Singh, who was the MLA then after winning the seat in 2014 by defeating Neeraj, too, had raised his voice. Many MLAs had called for justice for Neeraj," Ragini said.

Asked if she thought her husband was wronged, Ragini said, "Shadyantra ke tahat unko phansaya gaya … jis raftaar se unka rajneeti mein uchhal a raha thha (People conspired against him, threatened by the pace at which his political career was shooting)."

Ragini feels Sanjeev's detractors were apprehensive he would contest the Lok Sabha election in 2019 and go to Parliament. "This was projected as a family feud to the outside world. I have been crying hoarse for a CBI inquiry (into Neeraj's death)," she added.

TOI made several attempts to contact Purnima Neeraj Singh but there was no response.