Madhu Koda
Encyclopedia
Madhu Koda is an India
n politician who was Chief Minister of Jharkhand
from 2006 to 2008. He was sworn in as the fifth Chief Minister of Jharkhand on September 18, 2006 and remained in office until he resigned on 23 August 2008; he was succeeded by Shibu Soren
. He had eight ministers in his cabinet. Koda is the third independent legislator to assume the office of chief minister of an Indian state, including Biswanath Das
in Orissa
in 1971 and S. F. Khonglam in Meghalaya
in 2002.
Koda is presently in jail after multiple bail pleas have been rejected. However, only a tiny fraction of the Rs 4000 crores (USD 800 mn) graft money allegedly amassed by him has been recovered.
, West Singhbhum
. His father is Rasika Koda, a tribal farmer
, who lives in Patahatu. His father wanted Koda to have a "normal life" and remain a farmer or iron worker, but after experiencing corruption in the iron industry, he eventually began a career in politics.
Koda is married to Geeta, who contested the Jagannathpur assembly seat on a Jharkhand Navnirman Morcha ticket.
.He won in the 2000 Assembly elections from Jaganathpur as a Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) candidate. In the government headed by Chief Minister Babulal Marandi
, Madhu became the Panchayati Raj
Minister. He subsequently held this post when Arjun Munda
took over the reins in 2003.
During the 2005 Assembly Elections in Jharkhand, the BJP denied Koda a ticket. He contested as an Independent candidate and won from Jaganathpur once again, defeating his nearest rival from the Indian National Congress
by over ten thousand votes. With a fractured mandate in the state, Koda agreed to support a BJP-led government led by Arjun Munda, taking over as the Minister of Mines and Geology.
In September 2006, Madhu and three other independent legislators withdrew support to the Munda government, bringing it into the minority. In the subsequent period, the opposition United Progressive Alliance
decided on him as consensus candidate to become Chief Minister. His government included the representatives of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha
, Rashtriya Janata Dal
, Jaua Manjhi group
, Nationalist Congress Party
, All India Forward Bloc
, three independent MLAs (besides himself), and the outside support of the Indian National Congress
. The CPI(ML) Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation
MLA Vinod Singh refused to support the Koda Government, refuting Koda's claims of having secured his support.
Koda resigned on August 23, 2008.
Koda contested the Lok Sabha
elections in May 2009 and won the Chaibasa
Lok Sabha constituency to become the Member of the Parliament.
, property in Kolkata
, a hotel in Thailand
, and a coal mine in Liberia
. This alleged scam is said to be the second-largest scam uncovered in India in 2009 and gets his name included in the list of controversial Indian businessman like Hasan Ali Khan
and Harshad Mehta
.
In the probes, it was found that Maoists received a 30% share of the "Koda plunder". This has led to staunch criticism of Koda from sections of society, including the oppostition Bharatiya Janata Party
. Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modi
stated Koda was part of a corrupt network of Congress Party
who stole money from Jharkhand
.
In July 2011, the Member of Parliament, Mr. Madhu Koda was transferred to Delhi
's high profile Tihar Jail
from Chaibasa
Central Jail after being given permission by the Jharkhand Vigilance Court so that he can attend the monsoon session of the Parliament
.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n politician who was Chief Minister of Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
from 2006 to 2008. He was sworn in as the fifth Chief Minister of Jharkhand on September 18, 2006 and remained in office until he resigned on 23 August 2008; he was succeeded by Shibu Soren
Shibu Soren
Shibu Soren is an Indian politician is a former Chief Minister of Jharkhand state in India. . He was sworn in as the 7th Chief Minister of Jharkhand on December 30, 2009 after winning the Jharkhand Assembly elections...
. He had eight ministers in his cabinet. Koda is the third independent legislator to assume the office of chief minister of an Indian state, including Biswanath Das
Biswanath Das
Biswanath Das was an Indian politician. He was the Prime Minister of Orissa Province of British India 1937–39, the Governor of Uttar Pradesh 1962–67 and later the Chief Minister of Orissa 1971–72.-Political career:...
in Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
in 1971 and S. F. Khonglam in Meghalaya
Meghalaya
Meghalaya is a state in north-eastern India. The word "Meghalaya" literally means the Abode of Clouds in Sanskrit and other Indic languages. Meghalaya is a hilly strip in the eastern part of the country about 300 km long and 100 km wide, with a total area of about 8,700 sq mi . The...
in 2002.
Koda is presently in jail after multiple bail pleas have been rejected. However, only a tiny fraction of the Rs 4000 crores (USD 800 mn) graft money allegedly amassed by him has been recovered.
Personal life
Madhu Koda was born in PatratuPatratu
Patratu is a census town in Ramgarh district in the Indian state of Jharkhand.-Geography:Patratu is located at . It has an average elevation of 405 metres...
, West Singhbhum
West Singhbhum
West Singhbhum or Pashchimi Singhbhum is one of the 24 districts of Jharkhand state, India. It came into being in 1990, when the old Singhbhum district was bifurcated...
. His father is Rasika Koda, a tribal farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
, who lives in Patahatu. His father wanted Koda to have a "normal life" and remain a farmer or iron worker, but after experiencing corruption in the iron industry, he eventually began a career in politics.
Koda is married to Geeta, who contested the Jagannathpur assembly seat on a Jharkhand Navnirman Morcha ticket.
Political career
Madhu Koda began his political career as an activist with the All Jharkhand Students UnionAll Jharkhand Students Union
All Jharkhand Students Union, is a state political party of Jharkhand state, India. AJSU was founded June 22, 1986, modelled after All Assam Students Union. The founders of AJSU were disillusioned with the previous Jharkhandi political parties, and wanted more militant agitations.AJSU organized...
.He won in the 2000 Assembly elections from Jaganathpur as a Bharatiya Janata Party
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
(BJP) candidate. In the government headed by Chief Minister Babulal Marandi
Babulal Marandi
Babu Lal Marandi was the first Chief Minister of Jharkhand. He is the founder and national president of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha . He is the Member of Parliament from Koderma Lok Sabha constituency. He was the Minister of State, Forests & Environment, Govt...
, Madhu became the Panchayati Raj
Panchayati Raj
The panchayat raj is a South Asian political system mainly in India, Pakistan, and Nepal. "Panchayat" literally means assembly of five wise and respected elders chosen and accepted by the local community. Traditionally, these assemblies settled disputes between individuals and villages...
Minister. He subsequently held this post when Arjun Munda
Arjun Munda
Arjun Munda is an Indian Politician, former Member of Parliament to the 15th Lok Sabha. He resigned the 15th Lok Sabha membership on 26th February, 2011. Currently he is Chief Minister of Jharkhand....
took over the reins in 2003.
During the 2005 Assembly Elections in Jharkhand, the BJP denied Koda a ticket. He contested as an Independent candidate and won from Jaganathpur once again, defeating his nearest rival from the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
by over ten thousand votes. With a fractured mandate in the state, Koda agreed to support a BJP-led government led by Arjun Munda, taking over as the Minister of Mines and Geology.
In September 2006, Madhu and three other independent legislators withdrew support to the Munda government, bringing it into the minority. In the subsequent period, the opposition United Progressive Alliance
United Progressive Alliance
The United Progressive Alliance is a ruling coalition of center-left political parties heading the government of India. The coalition is led by the Indian National Congress , which is currently the single largest political party in the Lok Sabha...
decided on him as consensus candidate to become Chief Minister. His government included the representatives of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha is a state political party in the state Jharkhand, India. It has a strength of 2 in the 15th Lok Sabha. Shibu Soren is the president of JMM...
, Rashtriya Janata Dal
Rashtriya Janata Dal
The Rashtriya Janata Dal is a political party in India, based in the state of Bihar. The party was founded in 1997 by Laloo Prasad Yadav. The party came about as a result of Lalu Prasad Yadav, ex-president of Janata Dal, being evicted by Sharad Yadav, the then president, on corruption charges ...
, Jaua Manjhi group
United Goans Democratic Party
United Goans Democratic Party is one of two formerly dominant political parties in the Indian state of Goa. UGDP has its base amongst the Christian part of the population....
, Nationalist Congress Party
Nationalist Congress Party
The Nationalist Congress Party is a centre to centre left political party primarily based in the state of Maharashtra, India.-Background:...
, All India Forward Bloc
All India Forward Bloc
The All India Forward Bloc is a leftwing nationalist political party in India. It emerged as a faction within the Indian National Congress in 1939, led by Subhas Chandra Bose. The party re-established as an independent political party after the independence of India...
, three independent MLAs (besides himself), and the outside support of the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
. The CPI(ML) Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation
Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation
Communist Party of India Liberation is a communist political party in India.Communist Party of India was formed in 1969 by the All India Coordination Committee of Communist Revolutionaries, who had split from Communist Party of India in 1967...
MLA Vinod Singh refused to support the Koda Government, refuting Koda's claims of having secured his support.
Koda resigned on August 23, 2008.
Koda contested the Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
elections in May 2009 and won the Chaibasa
Chaibasa
Chaibasa is a city and a municipality in West Singhbhum district in the state of Jharkhand, India. Chaibsa is district headquarter of West Singhbhum district.- Geography :Chaibasa is located at...
Lok Sabha constituency to become the Member of the Parliament.
Money-laundering and mining scam
On 10 October 2009, he was charged with laundering money. The Income Tax Department uncovered over 4000 crore in illegal assets owned by Koda. Among others, these assets were reported to include hotels and three companies in MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, property in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, a hotel in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, and a coal mine in Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
. This alleged scam is said to be the second-largest scam uncovered in India in 2009 and gets his name included in the list of controversial Indian businessman like Hasan Ali Khan
Hasan Ali Khan
Hasan Ali Khan is an Indian billionaire businessman. In 2007, authorities began investigating Khan for suspicion of money laundering. Khan was arrested by India's Directorate General of Economic Enforcement under suspicion of money laundering, and was in court in July 2011 for that case...
and Harshad Mehta
Harshad Mehta
Harshad Shantila Mehta was an Indian stockbroker. He is alleged to have engineered the rise in the BSE stock exchange in 1992. Exploiting several loopholes in the banking system, Mehta and his associates siphoned off funds from inter-bank transactions and bought shares heavily at a premium across...
.
In the probes, it was found that Maoists received a 30% share of the "Koda plunder". This has led to staunch criticism of Koda from sections of society, including the oppostition Bharatiya Janata Party
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
. Gujarat Chief Minister
Chief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...
Narendra Modi
Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi is the current Chief Minister of the Indian state of Gujarat.He was born in a middle class family in Vadnagar; and is a member of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh since childhood, as also an active politician since early in life. He holds a masters degree in political...
stated Koda was part of a corrupt network of Congress Party
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
who stole money from Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
.
In July 2011, the Member of Parliament, Mr. Madhu Koda was transferred to Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
's high profile Tihar Jail
Tihar Jail
Tihar Prisons , also called Tihar Jail and Tihar Ashram , is the largest complex of prisons in South Asia. It is located at Tihar village, approximately 7 km from Chanakya Puri, to the west of New Delhi, India. The surrounding area is called Hari Nagar.The prison is maintained as a...
from Chaibasa
Chaibasa
Chaibasa is a city and a municipality in West Singhbhum district in the state of Jharkhand, India. Chaibsa is district headquarter of West Singhbhum district.- Geography :Chaibasa is located at...
Central Jail after being given permission by the Jharkhand Vigilance Court so that he can attend the monsoon session of the Parliament
Parliament of India
The Parliament of India is the supreme legislative body in India. Founded in 1919, the Parliament alone possesses legislative supremacy and thereby ultimate power over all political bodies in India. The Parliament of India comprises the President and the two Houses, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha...
.