Jharkhand: 8 disgruntled Cong MLAs land in Delhi; CM Soren says 'no threat to coalition govt'

The JMM-led alliance in Jharkhand is "strong" and there is no threat to the coalition government in the state, Chief Minister Champai Soren said on Sunday (February 18) amid reports of resentment brewing among a section of Congress legislators over the induction of four party MLAs as ministers.

Soren, who is in the national capital, will hold talks with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. State Congress president Rajesh Thakur has already reached Delhi "There's no issue, our alliance is strong," Champai Soren told reporters in New Delhi in response to media queries on the turmoil between the JMM and the Congress over portfolio distribution.

On being asked about disgruntled Congress MLAs reaching Delhi, he said, "This is an internal matter of the Congress party, they will resolve it. I have nothing to say about that. There is no conflict between JMM and Congress and everything is absolutely fine."

MLAs remain firm

Earlier, amid strong resentment brewing among some Congress legislators in Jharkhand over the induction of four party MLAs in the cabinet of Chief Minister Champai Soren, eight of the 12 disgruntled MLAs reached Delhi on Saturday (February 17) evening.

"We have reached Delhi. Rest will be reaching tomorrow... We will hold discussions with the Congress leadership here... We want replacement of all the four... the 12 MLAs are together barring the four ministers and MLA Pradeep Yadav," Congress legislator Kumar Jaimangal, also known as Anup Singh, told PTI.

The Bermo legislator said the Congress has 17 MLAs and the JMM 29. "The JMM has already taken the chief minister and the speaker's posts. They have six ministerial berths and we want the remaining one. We are not compromising on that," Jaimangal demanded.

Unhappy with the Congress' decision to again give ministerial berths to Alamgir Alam, Rameshwar Oraon, Banna Gupta and Badal Patralekh, the legislators went into a huddle at a Ranchi hotel earlier in the day, where JMM's new minister Basant Soren, the youngest son of party supremo Shibu Soren, reached to persuade them to change their decision.

"There is no confusion... we are all united," Basant Soren claimed after meeting the MLAs.

Champai Soren and state Congress president Rajesh Thakur have also reached Delhi and are scheduled to meet AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge.

Boycott threat

As many as 12 MLAs of the grand old party have threatened to boycott the upcoming state assembly session from February 23 if the ministers are not replaced with new faces.

The JMM-led alliance in the state has 47 MLAs (JMM-29, Congress-17 and one RJD) in the 81-member assembly.

Rajesh Kachhap, Congress MLA from Khijri said, "When JMM can give new faces, why not Congress? Nobody is a king in a democracy.”

The group of 12 MLAs have already handed over a signed letter to the state party chief on the matter.

Senior Congress leader and Mahagama MLA Dipika Pandey Singh told PTI, "We want the party to change the ministers and give opportunity to new faces.”

Mandar Congress MLA Shilpi Neha Tirkey, too, voiced her discontent.

"During the past four years, we had lots of disapproval and disappointments on the quota given to us... Since there was a sudden opportunity and a new cabinet was being formed under Champai Soren ji, everyone was hopeful that there will be a reshuffle.”

"Initially, the swearing-in ceremony was scheduled on February 8. When it was postponed, we were assured that a reshuffle will happen. But it was very disappointing when we saw there was no change and those who were openly praising BJP were retained," she told PTI.

No new faces

"Why were new faces not given opportunity... that's why the whole revolt... We wanted to boycott the swearing-in ceremony, but our state in-charge promised that there will be a good discussion in Delhi about it... It is not about two or four MLAs... It is 12 legislators who are voicing it out together," she added.

"You appoint anyone... You appoint community-wise, area-wise... We just want fresh faces... We want such faces who can fulfill people's aspirations. These ministers have not delivered in the past four years, what is the guarantee that they will deliver now," she added.

The Congress leadership has assured to discuss the issue, she said adding, "We have made it very clear to KC Venugopal that we want discussion with senior leaders.

Most of the Congress MLAs objected to the name of Banna Gupta, who had courted controversy recently after BJP MP Nishikant Dubey posted a video purportedly showing him engaging in an "obscene" phone conversation with a woman.

Discontent in JMM

Meanwhile, disgruntled JMM legislator Baidyanath Ram on Sunday said his exclusion from the cabinet of Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren "at the last moment" has "hurt his dignity" and he will "not sit silently".

Ram, who was allegedly dropped from the list of ministers at the eleventh hour, said he would not tolerate "this insult” and contest as an independent candidate in the upcoming assembly polls if required.

"Everything was finalised and my name featured in the ministers' list. But, at the last moment, my name was dropped. It is an insult. I will not tolerate it," Ram had asserted, alleging, "Under pressure from the central leadership of Congress, my name was removed.

(With agency inputs)