Cong willing to join Soren Cabinet!

Vijay Deo Jha Ranchi Monday, December 22, 2008
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After a countless number of denials of reports appearing in the media, the State Congress finally accepted that it was willing to join the State Cabinet led by Chief Minister Shibu Soren. But conditions apply.

"It could be possible only if the Chief Minister makes a request to the Congress central high command in this regard…and if we get such offer we (Congress) will think of it", Jharkhand Congress president Pradeep Balmuchu said on the sideline of the party's district presidents meeting in Ranchi.

Balmuchu further added that it all depended upon the nod of the high command and indicated that party had no such problem with the proposal. The evasiveness of the party president had several reasons as the central leadership had virtually frowned at the party MLAs for demanding plum post of corporations and boards.

Following the removal of two of the Ministers after the Vigilance court framed them in corruption cases the political class and media have been speculating about the whose who of new Ministers. Even party sources confirmed the willingness of their party president and confided about his calculated move.

Now, after compelling Soren to contest the Tamar by-election the State Congress has come forward to hitch onto his electoral wagon with a number of programmes. It has directed its district presidents to camp in Tamar for electioneering. The party workers will be covering blocks and villages of Tamar through bicycle march from December 23 to 25. Balmuchu informed that the party leaders would start active electioneering in all the three blocks of Tamar.

Despite its dwindling base in Tamar which nosedived after suffering electoral discomfiture twice here the by-election has come as a moral responsibility for the Congress to make Soren win.

The Congress has an answer to it. Politics takes no time to change its dynamics. The United Progressive Alliance hopes for a swing in the favour of Soren in the coming days, said Balmuchu. It is a combined predicament of the UPA that it suffers organisational atrophy at the grassroot level.