Marandi meets Guv, demands Koda to prove majority

Vijay Deo Jha RANCHI Saturday, June 21, 2008

The much-hyped meet of Babulal Marandi, president Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM), with Syed Sibte Razi, the Governor of Jharkhand has failed to impress veteran politician of the State.

Marandi had gone to meet the Governor demanding a special session of the Assembly to ascertain through floor testing whether the Koda Government enjoyed majority or not. At a time when the issue of support to Koda government has turned into a political football among UPA allies of Jharkhand, Marandi is supposed to have played a game of political maneuvering, accept his partymen.

Refusing to call it a game of political maneuvering and a tactical move to put any party in the tight spot on the issue of support, Marandi quoted the anti-government rhetoric of the State Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) which goes by saying the government lost the support of UPA allies.

"We can join hand with any party including BJP in pulling out the government which has lost moral as well as constitutional authority to govern", Marandi said.

But well placed sources said that the move had no significant political impact on the state politics since the party was not in a position to pull down the government by any stretch of imagination.

The JVM wanted to embarrass and expose Congress. Open invitation of Marandi to join hand with any political party to pull out the government should be read in this context. The party has been on the front to denounce the government and even indicated the withdrawal of support.

Reacting over it, Arjun Munda, leader to opposition and senior BJP leader said that Marandi might not have forgotten the last no confidence motion against the same government and he should explain his role behind the curtain.

Marandi lost his political credibility and the present government was continuing due to the blessings of Marandi, he said. Viranchinarayan, party spokesperson said that Marandi was trying to crack a political jock. Congress, which sees it a political innuendo hurled against it, dismissed it as a move to gain political mileage.

JVM is a one-man show with one MP and five members in assembly 'incognito' should know the political arithmetic, said Alok Kumar Dubey, spokesperson, state Congress.

"The party would continue with its agitation without seeking the support of other political parties of the state we do not relay on imaginative figure", said a Congress leader.