New Delhi: Even as Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Champai Soren met the Governor in Ranchi to stake claim for forming a government Thursday, the JMM and its allies, the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, are readying to shift their MLAs to the Congress-ruled Telangana to avoid poaching, ThePrint has learnt.
On Thursday evening, a bus carrying MLAs of the ruling alliance in Jharkhand reached Ranchi Airport. Leader of JMM legislative party, Champai Soren, was among the MLAs to reach the airport.
The JMM has 29 MLAs, the Congress 16 and the RJD 1 in the Jharkhand assembly, while the BJP-led NDA has just 32 MLAs, nine short of the majority mark.
Meanwhile, the BJP has called its Legislature Party meeting on Friday, and this has created another buzz in the political circles about its motive.
While Soren had Wednesday handed over a letter of support from 43 MLAs to the governor, the BJP has claimed that the JMM leader enjoys no such support.
The JMM-Congress camp spent anxious moments as the Raj Bhavan did not invite Champai Soren to form the government in the state.
“The governor has not invited (us), and we are waiting for his call. I submitted the letter of support yesterday… I don’t know why he is taking time,” Champai Soren told ThePrint.
Sources in the Raj Bhavan said that the governor was examining the letter as there was reports of “a few MLAs were not present in the meeting called by the alliance”. The governor has the right to examine the claim before making a move,” one of the sources said.
The ‘delay’ has now aroused the suspicion of the BJP’s hand to create confusion among MLAs for launching its Operation Kamala in Jharkhand.
The JMM has held a meeting of all MLAs of the alliance in Ranchi’s Circuit House and the plan is to shift the lawmakers to a ‘safe’ state.
“If the governor takes time, the party will have to shift MLAs to another place to keep them away from poaching. The party may even approach the court. The JMM and the Congress can seek appointment to parade our MLAs. But we will wait for some time for the governor to act and respond,” JMM legislator Samir Mohanty told ThePrint .
Congress MLA Irfan Ansari wondered what was taking Governor C. P. Radhakrishnan so much time to make a decision..
“In Bihar, the governor sworn-in Nitish Kumar within two hours of presenting a letter of support as the chief minister. Here the governor did not allow yesterday to meet Mahagatbandhan MLAs…. What law is he studying or is he giving time to the BJP to start Operation Kamala or impose President Rule?” he told ThePrint.
After his arrest by the ED, JMM chief Hemant Soren’s video message was widely shared in which he sought to strike an emotional cord with the people. Soren said that he was not afraid of being arrested as “he is the son of Shibu Soren and struggles run in his blood”.
The video is being construed as a JMM strategy to get sympathy wave and to counter the BJP’s plan for harping on corruption.
Also Read: Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren resigns ahead of ‘imminent’ ED arrest. Champai Soren to be next CM
BJP game plan
As for the BJP camp, the strategy is to somehow have the President rule for which it is looking to create confusion in the ruling ranks.
“The BJP will not form a government with the corrupt JMM. We prefer to go to elections. In the JMM, there is no support for Champai Soren. Basant and Sita Soren want to become CM. … Why signatures of only 42 MLAs presented in the letter? Where is letter of JMM president Shubha Soren? All these facts, the governor must be examining before reaching a conclusion. There is a confusion in the JMM after Hemant Soren’s arrest,” BJP Lok Sabha MP Nishikant Dubey had said outside Parliament.
Former minister and BJP Jharkhand vice-president Neil Kanth Munda said that the ball was on the court of the Raj Bhavan. “The JMM govt was the most corrupt government in history.”
Meanwhile, BJP organisational general secretary B.L. Santosh reached Ranchi to hold deliberation with BJP state president Babu Lal Marandi on the emerging political situation .
Former BJP state president and Rajya Sabha MP Deepak Prakash told ThePrint that the party is keeping a watch on unfolding circumstances.
“Our first priority was the arrest of corrupt Hemant Soren. As only six-seven months are left for this assembly, a short President rule can be another option if confusion persists in the JMM. Our priority is an early election, if possible with the Lok Sabha,” another BJP leader told ThePrint.
(Edited by Tony Rai)