Ranchi: As Hemant Soren takes oath of office of the chief minister of Jharkhand on December 27, bureaucrats have started comparing him with his predecessor, Raghuwar Das. A cross section of senior IAS officers here admitted that they would feel comfortable with Hemant Soren as he would be compatible to the nature of the bureaucrats. Raghuwar Das, according to these bureaucrats was too arrogant and misbehaved with Deputy Commissioners and secretaries even in the public.
One of the principal secretaries who had worked under Hemant Soren in 2013-14 recalled "the young chief minister used to get ready for official business after 11 in the morning. He is a late riser".
Another secretary, who had served as deputy commissioner of Ranchi, said, "Once during the Jan Samvad programme telecast live on news channels, then CM Raghuwar Das became furious with the deputy commissioner of Bokaro over an unfinished task and told him "You do not have common sense. How you became an IAS officer, akal nahi hai tumko". The young DC had no choice, but to say, "sir, sir".
Gautam Sagar Rana, former president of state unit of RJD and a former minister in undivided Bihar said, "I have worked with both Raghuwar and Hemant. Raghuwar can become Badtamij even before his seniors in BJP, Hemant will try to touch the feet of the elders and address his contemporaries as Bhaiya. Raghuwar ran the state according to his whims influenced by the corporate lobby at the instance of the central BJP leadership. Hemant too is soft to corporate lobby as he did favours to them in 2013-14.
According to Rana, both can not be given clean certificates on corruption. But, he hoped, Hemant will be under watch of his alliance partners.
While Hemant got training in politics from his father and founder of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Shibu Soren, Raghuwar was self trained as was an MLA for 25 years. Hemant had his schooling at Patna from where he did his ISc from Patna Science College and later pursued his B Tech (Mechanical) from MIT, Mesra campus. Raghuwar was educated at Jamshedhpur and later got employment in Tata Steel as foreman.
