Ranchi: “Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit—but the highest form of intelligence.”
— Oscar Wilde
Jharkhand’s politicians have rarely been known for their wit and sarcasm. So when Sudivya Kumar Sonu, a minister in the Hemant Soren cabinet, stated sarcastically after the Pahalgam terror attack that Himachal Pradesh’s Chief Minister should resign, not only did several netizens fail to understand it, but the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is in opposition in the state, called it a vulgar statement.
On April 22, in the Pahalgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, 27 tourists and a local Kashmiri were killed in a terror attack. Despite such a large-scale assault—where several innocent lives were lost or injured—it was found that there were no police or army personnel deployed in the area, even though Jammu and Kashmir is considered to have the highest concentration of military presence in the world. The region is directly governed by the Union Government and falls under the jurisdiction of the Home Ministry. But even after 24 hours, with no questions raised about accountability, Minister Sudivya Kumar made a statement while briefing the media.
“For the incident in Pahalgam, Himachal Pradesh’s CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu should resign, as he could not save his citizens. It is an unfortunate incident, and I believe Himachal’s Chief Minister should resign,” said the minister.
As Kumar repeated that the Himachal CM should resign, he raised his finger in a manner that made the sarcastic tone of his remark apparent.
Still, on social media, several users—especially those unfamiliar with the minister or aligned with the BJP—mocked him, saying that he should have blamed the (non-existent) Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, not Himachal’s.
Later, BJP’s Jharkhand president Babulal Marandi described Kumar’s remark as fuhad (vulgar), in the wake of a national tragedy. This gave Kumar an opportunity to call a press conference and clarify that his remark was, in fact, sarcasm.
He said today,
“BJP and its leaders should remember that our leaders have set high moral standards in public life. In 1956, Lal Bahadur Shastri resigned after a train accident. In 1999, Nitish Kumar did the same. In 2008, after the Mumbai terror attack, Home Minister Shivraj Patil resigned. But now, despite multiple terror attacks including Pathankot, Pulwama and the one in Pahalgam in 28 people killed, the media doesn’t even question the accountability of any person. In such silence, a minister like me is forced to step in and remind the nation. I also question that why national mourning was not announced.”
Who is Sudivya Kumar Sonu?
The Minister for Tourism, Higher Education, and Urban Development, Kumar is a two-time MLA from Giridih. A long-time member of the JMM, he calls himself a disciple of party founder Shibu Soren. Kumar is also considered part of the ruling government’s think tank in Jharkhand.
JMM Hits Streets Demanding Resignation of HM and Defense Minister
After the Pahalgam terror attack, very few opposition leaders at the national level demanded the resignation of the Prime Minister or the Home Minister. No party had taken to the streets. This is in contrast to the pre-2014 era when BJP leaders regularly took to the streets demanding accountability after every such incident.
However, following the minister’s press conference in Ranchi, JMM leaders in Giridih—Kumar’s home constituency—not only demanded resignations over the failure to prevent the terror attack, but also burned effigies of HM Shah and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. They also shouted Pakistan Murdabad slogans.
