Jharkhand: Fresh Trouble For Champai Govt As 12 Congress MLAs Miffed With New Cabinet Leave For Delhi
The Congress MLAs are demanding that Congress should get one more ministerial post and all the old ministers from the Congress quota should be replaced.
In a new trouble for the Jharkhand government, 12 Congress MLAs are unhappy with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led government over the cabinet formation.
The Congress MLAs are skipping the Jharkhand assembly session and have left for Delhi on Saturday.
The MLAs are demanding that Congress should get one more ministerial post and all the old ministers from the Congress quota should be replaced.
A group of Congress MLAs met its Jharkhand chief Rajesh Thakur and lodged their protest against the “repetition of ministers from the party’s quota” in the new cabinet.
The 'rebel' MLAs include Deepika Pandey Singh, Irfan Ansari, Anup Singh, Ram Chandra Singh, Bhushan Bara, Shinku, Akela Yadav, Amba Prasad, Purnima Neerja Singh, Neha Tirkey, Rajesh Kashyap and Viksal Kongadi.
Four Congress leaders — Alamgir Alam, Rameshwar Oraon, Banna Gupta and Badal Patralekh, who were a part of the previous Hemant Soren cabinet — were included in the Champai Soren cabinet, too.
Meanwhile, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MLA Baidyanath Ram, who was 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 said, according to PTI.
“Under pressure from the central leadership of Congress, my name was removed,” he alleged.
Ram also claimed that Chief Minister Champai Soren assured him that he would resolve the matter within two days.
“I may contest the assembly polls as an independent candidate if need be,” the Latehar MLA added.
Basant Soren, JMM supremo Shibu Soren’s youngest son, JMM's Chaibasa MLA Deepak Birua and others took oath as ministers in Jharkhand’s Champai Soren-led government on Friday.
Earlier this month, 67-year-old Champai Soren was sworn in as the 12th chief minister of the state, while senior Congress leader Alamgir Alam and RJD leader Satyanand Bhokta took oath as ministers.
JMM executive president Hemant Soren was arrested by the ED on January 31, shortly after he resigned as the chief minister.
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