Sources say Koda began building his empire when he was made Minister of Mines in the mineral-rich state of Jharkhand. He nurtured that empire with much attention when he took over as Jharkhand's chief minister in 2006, they add, based on documents recovered from his house and from offices across the country linked to Koda. Thinking big seemed to guide Koda and his men. Today, between them, they reportedly own swanky hotels, and mines in different parts of the world.
Sources say Koda began building his empire when he was made Minister of Mines in the mineral-rich state of Jharkhand. He nurtured that empire with much attention when he took over as Jharkhand's chief minister in 2006, they add, based on documents recovered from his house and from offices across the country linked to Koda. Thinking big seemed to guide Koda and his men. Today, between them, they reportedly own swanky hotels, and mines in different parts of the world.
Madhu Koda became the first ever independent Chief Minister of an Indian state in 2006. Year 2009 saw the former Jharkhand chief minister and current MP from Chaibasa in Jharkhand, adding another first to his name -- the first Chief Minister to be chargesheeted by the Enforcement Directorate, with the help of the CBI, for money laundering.
Thirty-eight-year-old Koda was chief minister of Jharkhand from 2006-2008. His assets add upto Rs 4,000 crores. Assets that he allegedly began collecting, illegally, when he became a minister in the new state of Jharkhand in the year 2000.
Income Tax officials believe his assets grew after he got the prized Mines Portfolio in this mineral-rich state. His trusted lieutenants were allegedly two local businessman: Binod Sinha and Sanjay Chaudhary.
Koda and his associates are accused of corruption and investigations have revealed an empire that extended from Mumbai to Liberia to Thailand
The son of a poor labourer, Koda's rise in politics was meteoric : an RSS recruit, taken under the wing by BJP's Babulal Marandi, first elected in 1999, but dumped by the BJP in the next elections. He still won as an independent and bargained for the Mines ministry in return for support to the BJP government. An year later, in a bizarre turn, political equations changed and 36 year old Koda became the first Independent MLA in the country to head a government. Like his political career, the whiff of scandal began early. It was said 'powerful interests' had propelled him to the post of Mines Minister. His lifestyle changes were much talked about even in 2006, well before he became chief minister.His crowning as CM itself was dramatic. In the autumn of 2006, Shibu Soren, Lalu Prasad joined hands to prop him up and Congress provided the back support.
But the greater tragedy is what it has meant for Jharkhand, now routinely subtitled 'rich land, poor people', where the richness of life - nature, forests, harmonious people - lies deeply ravaged by intense mining and industrialization, and all the accompanying ruptures. The story of Madhu Koda is not just of a politician swindling crores, but of wider loot and a deeper loss.
