Guruji keeps disciple Arjun tense

Vijay Deo Jha | Ranchi | Saturday, May 22, 2010

The BJP will not stretch the deadline beyond May 25 for Shibu Soren to resign as Chief Minister for the transfer of power to the BJP as per the rotational formula.

Sources in the BJP said that the parliamentary board of the party will take a final decision on May 25 whether to keep an alliance with the JMM after Soren, who on Thursday declined that he ever made any commitment with the BJP to relinquish the CM’s post by May 25.

Authoritative sources in the BJP confirmed that Soren has been asked to resign by 2pm on May 25. “The BJP will withdraw support from the Shibu Soren Government. The BJP is not at all pleased with what Soren has been telling to the media after he agreed to resign as CM, following an agreement on rotational formula,” a senior BJP leader told The Pioneer over telephone from New Delhi.

BJP’s wait for final words from Soren over the transfer of power and his resignation from CM post might end on Saturday. “Soren is expected to make his stand public on Saturday through a Press conference. Today we had no significant political discussion over current impasse,” JMM MLA Hemlal Murmu told the media in Bokaro on Friday.

Murmu spoke quite a different thing; even contradicting his party boss Soren on a crucial point who claimed that the issue of his resignation was never discussed in the joint meeting of the JMM-BJP-AJSU-JD(U) on May 18.

“It is true that during the meeting leaders unanimously agreed that he (Soren) will resign from CM’s post by May 25 under the formula of the rotation of the CM’s post between the BJP and the JMM for 28 months each.”

Soren, who has been in Bokaro to commemorate first death anniversary of his elder son, Durga Soren, again reiterated what he had said on Thursday.

“I fought for the creation of Jharkhand. I formed the Government for five years, I will complete the tenure. Who will remove me? Will you?” Soren asked the media.

But then it was not the final statement. In between Soren’s claimed five years of tenure, “there could be a change also,” Soren said. For the BJP, it is difficult to draw any reference of the future course of strategy of Soren.

A section of the BJP that initially opposed the continuation of coalition Government with the JMM has mounted pressure on the party to snap tie with the JMM arguing that the party has suffered enough political loss.

Senior party leader MM Joshi on Friday even refused to comment over Jharkhand affair terming it “a theatre of the absurd”. “It has become a theatre of the absurd. I would not like to say anything more on this,” Joshi was quoted by PTI when the reporters asked for his views on JMM dilly-dallying over support to a BJP-led Government.

But BJP national vice-president Karuna Shukla and Godda MP Nishikant Dubey are few optimists who believed that Soren will step-down on the given date.

Nothing could stop JMM leaders and Soren from surcharging political atmosphere with oblique notes, even thought it was the first death anniversary of Durga Soren. Around six JMM MLAs who gathered to remember Durga reportedly huddled in a close door meeting with Soren at his Bokaro residence.

Soren has strategically let loose a couple of his party MLAs, including Teklal Mahato, Simon Marandi, Lobin Hembrum and Nalin Soren — reportedly in New Delhi — to negotiate with the Congress leaders sources said. The leaders may meet Oscar Fernandes, they added. BJP’s front runner for CM’s post Arjun Munda, who had taken initiative to persuade JMM to agree for power sharing on May 18 maintained silence.

“Boss will speak only after May 25,” one of his close aides said. But in between the make and mar of the government, Munda can at least bask in the glory of having gained support of the BJP parliamentary board that refused to form government in Jharkhand without Munda as CM.