Balmuchu bashers on prowl for his removal

Vijay Deo Jha Ranchi Thursday, July 9, 2009

Day breaks with new challenges for the State Congress president Pradeep Balmuchu who is locked in battles with his adversaries in the party. Successive political developments in the past couple of days in New Delhi and Jharkhand have made his position shakier and a fresh threat lurked over his continuation as the PCC president.

Only on Tuesday night in New Delhi he was cautioned by Ahmed Patel; the political advisor of the AICC president Sonia Gandhi; for unsatisfactory discharge of duty as state PCC chief, the well-placed sources in the Congress confided.

He was reprimanded for his advocacy to form ‘a popular government’ in Jharkhand with the help of the JMM and odd number of independent MLAs who were also the ministers in the UPA led government. A good number of them have been facing corruption charges in the vigilance court in Jharkhand.

On the same day the former Congress MP Rameswar Oraon dropped a missive to Sonia Gandhi questioning the move of the some of the leaders of the state Congress to form government in Jharkhand. He termed it, “would further damage the image of the party.”

Oraon did not mention Balmuchu, as such, but a source close to him said that the line actually referred Balmuchu and Oraon as the claimant of PCC president is leading one of the factions of the state Congress which is keen for the removal of Balmuchu.

Balmuchu is still camping in New Delhi to convince the top Congress brasses for a government under his leadership after independent MLAs secretly pledged their support to him. Oraon has put Balmuchu in lather after he demanded a CBI inquiry against these tainted MLAs.

“Also Madam, Congress should take a stand to ask for CBI inquiry against these corrupt ex-ministers…these ministers have reportedly acquired huge asset even outside of the country,” Oraon said in his letter.

Oraon concluded his letter with a demand to dissolve the state assembly and seek a fresh mandate in the larger interest of the state and the party. Oraon who till yesterday could only be reported for his backroom maneuvering suddenly emerged on the political arena which is already crowded with claimants for the post of the party president.

The former party MP, Bagun Sumbrai who has been nourishing grudge against Balmuchu has added his voice in the favour of Oraon. On Monday Balmuchu bashers reassembled in New Delhi to ensure his ouster. Belonging to different camps of aspirants these party leaders have a common cause to espouse.

KN Jha reportedly met Sonia Gandhi and requested that a non tribal should be preferred for the post of state party president. Other leaders like Anadi Brahma, Chanchal Chatterjee, Iswarchand Pandey are also trying to impress central bosses the need for a new state PCC chief after Balmuchu over stayed to his tenure.

There are so many claimants: Subodhkant Sahai, Sushila Kerketta, KN Jha, Furkan Ansari, Rameswar Oraon etc. And one can not rule out that a political rookie of the party might startle everybody by emerging as a dark horse in this race.

Sources in the state Congress said that a fresh appointment of state party president could be made very soon. “The party high command might not like to face elections of the state assembly under the leadership Balmuchu after the party performed badly in the state in the general elections,” a senior Congress leader said.

While negotiations are still going on in New Delhi; the state Congress headquarter appeared to be a baffled house. “From the last one month ‘our president’ is busy defending himself and the central leadership is enjoying the cock-fight in Jharkhand.

Will somebody remind them the party really needed a facelift before the assembly election to fight against the NDA?”