Ranchi, Nov 1 (IANS) Former Jharkhand chief minister and Lok Sabha MP Madhu Koda, who faces allegations of largescale corruption, is the son of a labourer whose family was once steeped in dire poverty.
Born in Patahatu village in West Singhbhum district, Koda, now 38, also worked as a labourer for a while in Jharkhand's rural parts before he decided to embrace politics.
He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 1994, when the Congress was seen as a declining force. He got the ticket to contest assembly elections in 2000 and quickly became a minister after Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in the same year.
He served as minister in both Babula Marandi and Arjun Mundu governments between 2000-2005.
He quit the BJP five years later when the party refused to field him in assembly elections.
He fought the 2005 elections as an independent from Jagganthpur assembly seat and won.
Ironically, the BJP had to take Koda's support, and that of four other independents, to form the government in 2005. Koda became mines and geology minister in the new governmnt.
Very soon, stories of his corrupt dealings were rampant.
"We have come across some deals when Koda was the mines and geology minister and Arjun Munda was the chief minister. The deals indicate unaccounted transaction of money," Ujjawal Choudhary of the Income Tax department said.
Koda had differences with Munda over several issues. With the support of three other independents, he brought down the Munda government in September 2006.
Koda became chief minister with the support of the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).
His time as the chief minister from September 2006 to August 2008 generated reams of stories about his wrongdoing.
Two of three independents, who revolted along with Koda against Munda, are now in jail on graft cases. The third, Kamlesh Singh, also faces corruption allegations.
Despite anger in the Congress against him, coalition politics came in the way of his ouster.
In 2009, he fought the Lok Sabha election and won as an independent from Singhbhum.
Two cases of corruption have been lodged against Koda. He is accused of amassing assets beyond his known sources of income.
The Enforcement Directorate has lodged a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Koda has been accused of purchasing mines in Liberia in the name of his close associates worth $1.7 million (Rs.8.5 crore).
On Saturday, the income tax department and enforcement directorate raided 70 places across eight cities of India. Koda was also interrogated.
The Jharkhand vigilance department has also lodged a case against his associates -- Vinod Sinha and Sanjay Chaudhary.