Soren sends apology letter to Gadkari, ready to accept BJP CM

BJP withholds withdrawal of support

Gadkari to take final decision, tribal CM favourable, says Hemant

Vijay Deo Jha

Ranchi

If it was not the breaking of the ice, it just got a crack. The BJP and the JMM stood on either side of it, hand still reaching out for a shake, the other still twisted in accusation, more or less in the fashion of an estranged couple nudged into another rapprochement bid.

After BJP Parliamentary Board’s decision of withdrawal of support to the Shibu Soren led government on Wednesday; the party cancelled its scheduled appointments with the Governor MOH Farook; twice on Thursday to hand over letter of withdrawal of support.

“The BJP has decided to withdraw support from the Shibu Soren government. Soren voted in the favour of the UPA government during cut motion in the parliament…it is politically immoral. However, we feel regret for terminating our scheduled appointment with the Governor because one of our ministers from the BJP Vaidyanath Ram has not come from New Delhi. All four ministers from NDA quota will resign simultaneously,” BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Raghuwar Das said at a press conference on Thursday afternoon.

But the best answer of the changed stance of the BJP perhaps rested in the apology letter sent by Soren to the BJP national president Nitin Gadkari where he reported to have expressed regret over his voting to the UPA, which was done by mistake.

Content of the letter was elaborately discussed during the core committee meeting of the BJP and party’s parliamentary board in New Delhi, which found nothing concrete except words of regret. The BJP was successful to pressurize the JMM chief and Chief Minister Shibu Soren to step down and allow the BJP to occupy the CM’s post.

The BJP sought yet another time to meet the Governor — 7pm — only to cancel it just few minutes before the schedule.

The BJP pressed two of its crisis managers — state BJP General Secretary Ganesh Mishra and Spokesperson Sanjay Seth — who delivered tailor-made statement behind second such cancellation. Both of them parried to answer any direct question or to say when the crisis will be over.

By this time Soren had made substantial correction in the letter sent earlier. Sources in the BJP said that Soren agreed to step-down as CM to enable the BJP to get CM post.

What Soren wrote to the BJP bosses was tactically indicated by his son Hemant Soren, who during a news conference on late evening, said that the JMM had agreed to handover the CMs post to the BJP.

“We have made our intention known. We want a stable government. Nitin Gadkari has to take a final decision. But in any case only a tribal should be the next CM,” Hemant said.

Sources in the BJP said that party’s national general secretary Arjun Munda and Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Karia Munda are the front runners for the CM’s post. Though, former BJP national vice president Yashwant Sinha is also nourishing ambition for an assignment in the new set-up.

But a section of the JMM has been opposed to fresh political realignment with the BJP. JMM MLA Simon Marandi and Teklal Mahato spoke quite contrary against expression of regret of Hemant towards CM’s move during cut motion.

“It could be Hemant’s personal opinion. He is the son of Shibu Soren he is not the son of the JMM. Shibu Soren did right thing at the right time. We oppose any relation with the BJP,” they said.

In the last two days Hemant addressed two such press conferences to diffuse the crisis asking the BJP to tone down its temper. For a moment Hemant even strayed in the Congress camp for coalition in case the BJP refuses to withdraw from its stated point.

The Congress on its part best tried to net dissidents within the JMM and held crucial meeting with its JVM ally to search out of a very difficult possibility of a rainbow coalition consisting of the Congress, JMM, AJSU, JVM, RJD and independents.

But by late evening their move came to a cropper following stand taken by Hemant. AJSU which is the alliance partner in the Soren government also made it clear. “We are with the NDA. We want a stable government. The crisis will be diffused very soon,” deputy Chief Minister and AJSU Sudesh Mahato said at a press conference.

There are some more twists in the political drama ready to unfold in the coming days.