RANCHI


‘In touch with NDA, UPA for stable Govt’

Vijay Deo Jha | Ranchi | | Sunday, May 23, 2010

This is a bit like playing cricket at a third location as if your home turf has been dug up - JMM MLAs have moved from one location to another making BJP wary about the proposed transfer of the Chief Minister’s post.

“JMM legislators, right now, are located at different places. Some of them are in New Delhi. We will meet on Sunday in Ranchi to take a final decision,” Chief Minister and JMM chief Shibu Soren told the media in Bokaro on Saturday morning.

Soren who on Tuesday declined to resign as Chief Minister of the coalition Government of JMM-BJP-AJSU-JD (U) to hand over the Chief Minister’s post to the BJP; provided yet another political recipe.

“We are in touch with the NDA and UPA for a stable Government,” Soren added.

This came along with the changed stand of Soren’s MLA son Hemant Soren who till a couple of days back had sworn to stay in the NDA fold. “JMM had no such written agreement with the BJP during the joint meeting on May 18 under which he (Shibu Soren) has to resign by May 25. We are in touch with the UPA also and I do not rule out the possibility of an UPA Government in Jharkhand,” Hemant told the media in Bokaro.

The BJP broke its silence the over fast changing colour of the JMM and slammed Soren for making a white lie. “Soren has surprised everybody. How can Soren deny that he is among those signatories who had signed the agreement for the rotation of the Chief Minister’s post between the BJP and the JMM for 28 months each and agreed to step down by May 25?” senior BJP leader Saryu Rai said.

But the greater part of the responsibility of the 25-day-long political crisis in Jharkhand he invariably shifted to the State leadership for inapt handling of the issue.

“Surprisingly, the State leadership has kept its silence during all these days. No official statement has been given so far. It has lowered the morale of the party workers,” he said.

Rai rather suggested to the Central leadership to focus upon the party organisation and asked BJP Ministers in the Soren Government to resign.

A central BJP leader who had opposed any truck with the JMM told The Pioneer: “Mutual trust is a basic thing in coalition politics. It has lost in the case of BJP and JMM. I do not think of any prospect of Government formation.”

Soren is in the bid to woo the Congress to form the Government. His MLAs; Simon Marandi, Lobin Hembrom are staying in New Delhi desperately seeking audience of some senior Congress leaders. Rest are scattered at different places. But then, the final match will be played in Ranchi on Sunday if Soren is to be believed.