JMM sees Cong as sting in the tail

Vijay Deo Jha Ranchi, Saturday, September 20, 2008

The JMM Government headed by Shibu Soren got the first bitter taste of the coalition Government on the first day of the Monsoon Session of the Assembly as the State Congress; a major ally of the Government, took a swipe at the Government both on the floor and outside.

The Congress Legislative Party (CLP) is learnt to be in the mood to take some concrete decision, whether to ally with the JMM or not, by the next Monday. Whatever be the "concrete" decision, the Congress would not give the JMM a feel of a good political ally. If the party continues with such countenance, chances for a stormy session ahead and unpredictable political predictions are brighter.

Not happy with Soren for not inducting them in State Cabinet as well as allotting nearly a dozen of boards and corporations in favour of the Congress, the party legislators have mounted pressure to take a firm decision towards supporting the JMM.

Hitting hard at Shibu Soren for not adhering to coalition dharma and fulfilling the 'pledge', which the latter had made with the Congress, Pradeep Balmucchu, president State Congress expressed his dismay and resentment against Soren.

"We thought him as a leader firmly rooted to the soil but the way the man (Soren) is importing people from outside for governance of the Gtate, no hope is left," said Balmucchu.

He also indicated that Soren should be ready to face any kind of crisis if he wished to run the Government wantonly. In his statement, Balmucchu supposedly hinted the party could head towards a final bout against Shibu Soren if the CM fails to meet their demand of Cabinet induction.

Well-placed sources confided that the party legislators could no more wait after September 27 in case their demands were not met with. Referring to an informal meeting of the party legislators held during the recess of the session on Friday, the sources said the MLAs are mulling over some hard steps that could put the JMM Government on a tough political turf. Later, in a bid to assuage the belligerent Congress MLAs, Soren said that the decision about the boards and corporations would be taken soon.

Starting from a day before the beginning of the Assembly session, the tough posture of the Congress put the JMM on tizzy as the party MLAs ignored the dinner party hosted by Soren. Moving ahead with the politics of absentia, at least three Congress MLAs stayed away from the Assembly Session.