Ranchi, Jun 19 (PTI) The opposition BJP in Jharkhand claimed on Friday that the rift within the JMM-led ruling alliance widened after the Congress candidate’s defeat in the Rajya Sabha polls a day ago.
The saffron party also asserted that the INDIA bloc is running on a single common minimum programme of “loot and corruption”.
Amid cross-voting, NDA-supported Independent candidate Parimal Nathwani on Thursday won one of the two Rajya Sabha seats in Jharkhand, defeating the Congress’s Pranav Jha. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) candidate Baidyanath Ram was elected to the other seat.
The BJP-led NDA has 24 MLAs, four short of the minimum of 28 first-preference votes required in the 81-member assembly to secure a berth in the Rajya Sabha. The INDIA bloc, including the JMM and the Congress, has 56 members in the House.
“The poll results exposed the ruling alliance. Congress accused RJD and CPI(ML)Liberation of betraying, while the RJD calls Jharkhand Congress in-charge ‘Bikau’ (sold out). The entire alliance is running on a single common minimum programme that is loot and corruption,” Jharkhand BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo said.
The Jharkhand Congress in-charge K Raju accused the Rashtriya Janata Dal and CPI (ML)Liberation of “betrayal”. In response, the RJD alleged that Congress should introspect before pointing fingers at others, while the CPI(ML)Liberation condemned the accusations.
The RJD and CPI(ML)Liberation are being defamed, while the Congress itself failed to secure votes of its own MLAs in the election, Jharkhand RJD minister Sanjay Prasad Yadav told reporters here on Friday.
“In the recent Bihar Rajya Sabha polls, Congress MLAs were caught red-handed for voting for the BJP. Now, they are making allegations of betrayal. It is not in the blood of RJD,” Jharkhand RJD minister Sanjay Prasad Yadav alleged while talking to reporters here on Friday.
Nathwani polled 28 votes while Jha bagged 20 votes. Ram received 30 votes in the election, while three votes — two from the BJP and one from the Congress — were found invalid.
RJD national general secretary Bhola Prasad Yadav said, “I condemn the accusation of Jharkhand Congress in-charge K Raju and suggest that the party introspect. I was the polling agent for the party. After the voting, I assured our party high command and the Jharkhand chief minister that all four RJD votes were polled in favour of the Congress candidate.
The baseless allegation was made to hide the party’s wrongdoings, Yadav claimed during a press conference here.
He said that Congress should introspect or be ready for the consequences in future.
CPI (ML) Liberation state secretary Manoj Bhakt asserted that the party’s two MLAs cast their votes in favour of the INDIA bloc candidate.
“It is Congress, which could not manage its legislators. The Congress has a history of selling out,” he alleged.
The India bloc’s 56 members comprise 34 of the JMM, 16 of the Congress, four from the RJD and two from CPI(ML)Liberation.
The NDA’s 24 MLAs comprise 21 from the BJP and one each from the LJP (Ram Vilas), AJSU Party and the JD(U). The Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha has one MLA. PTI SAN NN
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