India should not be criticised for having multiple options, asserted External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday when asked about the country’s foreign policy priorities in the backdrop of observations that it is traversing from “non-alignment to all alignment”.

His remarks came at an interactive session at a security conference in Munich in the presence of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

While putting the question, the moderator specifically mentioned India’s continuing procurement of crude oil from Russia notwithstanding Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Why should it be a problem? I am smart enough to have multiple options. You should be admiring and not criticising. Is it a problem for others? I do not think so,” he said.

In that context, Mr Jaishankar explained the different pulls and pressures countries face, adding that different nations have different histories and challenges and it is very hard to have a unidimensional relationship.

“I do not want you, even inadvertently, to give the impression that we are purely and unsentimentally transactional. We are not. We get along with people, we believe in things, we share things…but there are times when you are located in different places, different levels of development, different experiences, all of that gets into it,” he explained.

“So life is complicated, life is differentiated,” he said.

“Good partners provide choices, smart partners take some of those choices” Mr Jaishankar said.

The External Affairs Minister also described the October 7 attacks on Israeli cities by Hamas as “terrorism” but at the same time, referring to Tel Aviv’s response, said Israel has an international obligation to observe the humanitarian law. He also highlighted India’s long-held position of a “two-state solution” on the Palestine issue.

Israel has been continuing its military offensive in Gaza as part of its retaliation to the unprecedented attack on Israeli cities by Hamas on October 7. India strongly condemned the terror attack by Hamas and has been calling for de-escalation of the situation.

To a question, the External Affairs Minister said the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India- China-South Africa) grouping started in an era when Western dominance was very strong.

Mr Jaishankar said last year, around 30 countries showed interest in being part of BRICS as they saw value in it. There must be something good we have done, he said.

“I think it is important today to make a distinction between being non-West and anti-West. I would certainly characterise India as a country which is non-West but which has extremely strong relations with the Western countries that is getting better by the day,” he added.

Strong resentment is brewing among a section of Congress legislators in Jharkhand over the induction of four party MLAs as ministers in the Champai Soren-led JMM government.

As many as 12 MLAs of the party have threatened to boycott the upcoming assembly session from February 23 and head to Jaipur if the ministers are not replaced by new faces.

Eight of the 12 disgruntled MLAs reached Delhi last evening to lodge their protest before the party high command over the induction of four party MLAs in the Champai Soren government.

The JMM-led alliance in the state has 47 MLAs (JMM has 29, Congress has 17 and RJD has one) in the 81-member assembly.

Unhappy over Congress’ decision to give ministerial berths to Alamgir Alam, Rameshwar Oraon, Banna Gupta and Badal Patralekh again, the legislators went into a huddle at Ranchi Circuit House just before the swearing-in ceremony on Friday with plans of boycotting it.

However, persuaded by Jharkhand Congress in-charge Ghulam Ahmed Mir and PCC chief Rajesh Thakur, the MLAs reached Raj Bhavan to attend the ceremony.

“We want replacement of all the four…We the 12 MLAs are together right now, barring the four ministers and Pradeep Yadav. We are waiting for the leadership to take a decision on our demand to change the four ministers.

“We want a minister from each division to cover all the five divisions in the state. We also want implementation of the ‘one person, one post’ rule made by Rahul Gandhi,” MLA Kumar Jaimangal, alias Anup Singh, told PTI.

The Bermo legislator said if they fail to hear anything from the party’s state and central leaderships soon, they will be forced to fly to the Rajasthan capital and boycott the budget session of Jharkhand Assembly.

“The Congress has 17 MLAs and the JMM (29). The JMM has already taken the chief minister and the speaker’s posts. They have six ministerial berths and we want the remaining one. We are not compromising on that. In case Alamgir Alam is retained, he should quit the post of the Congress Legislature Party leader,” Mr Jaimangal demanded.

He said the group of 12 MLAs have already handed over a signed letter to the party chief on the matter.

Senior Congress leader and Mahagama MLA Dipika Pandey Singh told PTI, “We want the party to change the ministers and give opportunity to new faces. Instead of adding more womeswen faces, they have retained one woman minister… How do you justify that.” 

Bebi Devi, excise minister in the previous Hemant Soren government, was given women and child development and social welfare portfolios.

Devi had contested the Dumri bypoll in 2023 after the death of her husband Jagannath Mahto.

Joba Manjhi, a senior JMM MLA from Manoharpur, who was the women, child development and social security minister in the Hemant Soren government, has been dropped.

Mandar Congress MLA Shilpi Neha Tirkey, too, voiced her discontent.

“During the past four years, we had lots of disapproval and disappointments on the quota given to us…Since there was a sudden opportunity and a new cabinet was being formed under Champai Soren ji, everyone was hopeful that there will be a reshuffle,” she told PTI.

“Initially, the swearing-in ceremony was scheduled on February 8. When it was postponed, we were assured that a reshuffle will happen. But it was very disappointing when we saw there was no change and those who were openly praising BJP were retained,” Ms Tirkey added.

“Why were new faces not given opportunity… that’s why the whole revolt …We wanted to boycott the swearing-in ceremony, but our state in-charge promised that there will be a good discussion in Delhi about it….It is not about two or four MLAs…It is 12 legislators who are voicing it out together. You appoint anyone…You appoint community-wise, area-wise…We just want fresh faces…We want such faces who can fulfill people’s aspirations. These ministers have not delivered in the past four years, what is the guarantee that they will deliver now,” she said. 

The Congress leadership has given an assurance it will discuss the issue, Ms Tirkey said, adding, “We have made it very clear to KC Venugopal that we want a discussion with senior leaders.” 

Most of the Congress MLAs objected to the name of Banna Gupta, who had courted controversy recently after BJP MP Nishikant Dubey posted a video purportedly showing him engaging in an “obscene” phone conversation with a woman.

Mr Gupta termed the video “fake and edited”.

Congress state chief Rajesh Thakur told PTI that the issues flagged by the 12 Congress legislators are being looked into.

“They have expressed their feelings to me and I shall bring this to the notice of the party central leadership. The decision by the central leadership will be accepted by all. We are hopeful of resolving it very soon,” he added.

In the 11-member Champai Soren cabinet, there are only two new faces – Basant Soren, JMM supremo Shibu Soren’s youngest son, and JMM’s Chaibasa MLA Deepak Birua.

While eight were sworn-in on Friday, the chief minister and two others- Alamgir Alam of Congress and Satyanand Bhokta of RJD – took oath on February 2.

Basant is the younger brother of former chief minister Hemant Soren, who is in judicial custody in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam.

On Friday, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MLA Baidyanath Ram, who was allegedly dropped from the list of ministers at the eleventh hour, said he would not tolerate “this insult” and contest as an independent candidate in the upcoming assembly polls if required.

“Everything was finalised and my name featured in the ministers’ list. But, at the last moment, my name was dropped. It is an insult. I will not tolerate it,” Mr Ram had asserted, alleging, “Under pressure from the central leadership of Congress, my name was removed.” 

Mr Ram also claimed that Chief Minister Champai Soren assured him that he would resolve the matter within two days. According to sources, the chief minister is likely to go to Delhi later in the day.

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) executive president Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on January 31, shortly after he resigned as the chief minister.

The BJP has 26 legislators and the AJSU Party has three. The NCP and CPI (ML) have one lawmaker each, apart from two Independents. There is also a nominated member. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Till a few months ago, Sandeshkhali island in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district was just a dot on the map. But over the past few months, this nondescript island has made national headlines and emerged as a major flashpoint between the Opposition and the ruling Trinamool Congress, thanks to the local strongman Sheikh Shahjahan.

On the face of it, there are allegations and counter-allegations between rival political parties ahead of the general election. But scratch the surface and what emerges is a baffling tale of Shahjahan’s meteoric rise to power and how he managed to turn this island into his fiefdom.

The Beginning

Shahjahan’s journey to become Sandeshkhali’s strongman began well before the Trinamool Congress came to power. Not much is known about his educational background. In his nomination papers for the panchayat polls, the column of educational qualifications was vacant. Local media reports say that in the early 2000s, Shahjahan would be seen on the sidestep of cars playing between Sandeshkhali and neighbouring Sarberia, calling out to passengers and collecting fare from them. His maternal uncle, Moslem Sheikh, was a local CPM leader and the panchayat chief. Sheikh gave Shahjahan his first breakthrough, and the ambitious nephew started looking after the local fish trade. He was no leader, yet, and largely worked in the shadow of his uncle, helping him out during elections and keeping in touch with local party leaders.

His assets, however, started growing and that did not go unnoticed. It is around this time that Shahjahan started carving out his identity. He helped out local residents during crisis. Whether it is arranging funds for a wedding or helping out parents struggling to pay for their children’s education, Shahjahan was the go-to man.

Around 2010, he sensed the wind of change blowing against the ruling CPM, even before his uncle did. Local media reports said Shahjahan gradually started distancing himself from CPM as the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress gained ground ahead of the 2011 polls. Shahjahan’s calculation proved right when the 34-year rule of the Left ended and the Trinamool came to power.

Meanwhile, Trinamool leader Jyotipriya Mallick, now in jail in a corruption case, was watching the ambitious nephew. Mallick, local reports said, planned to deal a fatal blow to the CPM by using Shahjahan to counter his uncle Moslem Sheikh’s influence. In 2013, Sheikh Shahjahan joined the Trinamool Congress. The tide had turned and the nephew and trumped his uncle. So much so that Moslem Sheikh was forced to join Trinamool a few years back.

A Mountain Of Wealth

Three palatial homes, coloured white, blue and yellow, tower over Akunjipara More near Sandeshkali. The blue and white homes are occupied by Shahjahan’s relatives. The 50-year-old strongman lived in the yellow before he fled ahead of the Enforcement Directorate’s raid. Documents submitted for panchayat polls stated Shahjahan owns 17 cars, 43 bighas of land — about 23 acres — and jewellery worth over Rs 2 crore. His bank balance was nearly Rs 2 crore. The strongman mentioned his occupation as ‘business’ and his annual income was shown as nearly Rs 20 lakh.

Local residents, however, claim that his actual property is much more. But where was the money coming from? Local leaders say he owned two brick kilns and was regularly seen there. That was not all. Shahjahan’s aides collected a cut from every fish trader in the area. Firearms tucked into their belts, his men would go from one fish grower to another, collecting the strongman’s “fee” every month, according to local reports. Such was his terror in the area that no one dared to oppose.

Allegations of Land Grab

Over the past decade, agricultural production in Sandeshkhali saw a swift decline and fish cultivation an exponential growth. Behind this was Sheikh Shahjahan. Local residents recount the strongman’s oft-repeated expression: nona jole sona fole (Gold grows in saline water). His ways to “grow gold”, however, have drawn serious allegations of land grab. Several farmers have narrated to NDTV how Shahjahan took control of land. His men would break embankments to channel saline water into agricultural land. “They have inundated our land with saline water so that we cannot grow crops here. (Shahjahan’s aides) Uttam Sardar and Shibu Hazra did this. Now they are rearing lobsters,” said a local farmer.

Another farmer alleged that they are being forced to rear fish. “Why will we go into fish farming when we have this land? We used to grow rice and live off it. We grew crops and fed ourselves. Fish and rice sufficed. Now, everything has stopped. There is no vegetable and there is no crop. Our cows don’t have anything to eat as there is no grass. What will we do? We are dying.”

Protest, the local farmers said, would attract a hefty penalty. “We are protesting now because we cannot take it anymore. They pick us up and beat us. This is the situation. We cannot sleep at night,” said a farmer who did not want to be identified.

The objective was simple — turn land into fish farms and reap the profits. Every piece of land, including a footfall field named after him, was on Shahjahan’s radar as he went on building his fiefdom, local residents say.

The Extortion Network

Local residents allege that they would get only a small portion of the money that came into their accounts under welfare schemes of the Centre and the state government. This also applied to payments for work under MGNREGA, the rural job guarantee scheme.

“We would get maybe Rs 500. They did not give us the rest,” a local resident said, targeting Shahjahan’s aides.

“Shahjahan’s men would pick us up from our home. We would be made to withdraw the money and give it to them. They would hand us Rs 500. ‘Take this, we won’t give you the rest’, they said,” said another. A protest would invite a thrashing, they alleged.

Another group of men said payment for building roads or digging ponds would also be snatched by Shahjahan and his men. “This road has been built, but we have not been paid. When we dug a pond, we did not get money for it. Not a single rupee. If we said anything, they would pick us up and beat us.”

Where Is Sheikh Shahjahan?

The Sandeshkhali strongman has been missing since a team of Enforcement Directorate officials came under a mob attack when they went to raid his home in Sandeshkhali in January. The recent allegations of harassment by women have raised a political storm and prompted the state police to crack down. Shahjahan’s aides Shibu Hazra and Uttam Sardar have been arrested, but he is still on the run. State police chief Rajeev Kumar said a 10-member committee is investigating the Sandeshkhali events.

“A total of 17 arrests have been made,” he told reporters Saturday.

The top cop said state police is not trying to hide anything and appealed to villagers to come forward with their complaints. The police are also organising camps in the area to take complaints of land grab and extortion.

One woman has registered a complaint of rape. Basirhat police chief HM Rehman said, “The complaints received by us from the police team in Sandeshkhali as well as the police station did not mention any cases of rape. However, in court, one woman has lodged a complaint of rape. The police will take action.”

The officer, however, said they have not received any complaint specifically naming Shahjahan Sheikh. The main Opposition BJP has accused the Trinamool Congress government of shielding the strongman and called for strict action.