Eight J'khand Congress MLAs Sulking Over Portfolio Allocation Return To Ranchi From Delhi

Upon their arrival in Ranchi's Birsa Munda Airport, the Jharkhand MLAs claimed they had gotten "positive indications" from the Congress high command. 

Jharkhand Congress In-Charge Ghulam Ahmad Mir with the party MLAs

Source : PTI

New Delhi: Eight out of the 12 disgruntled Congress MLAs from Jharkhand, who had been camping in Delhi for the last four days, demanding the inclusion of new faces in the ministerial positions, returned to Ranchi on Wednesday and claimed they got "positive indications" from the high command. 

 

Chief Minister Champai Soren, leading a JMM-led coalition government in Jharkhand, had recently inducted four senior Congress MLAs into his cabinet as ministers. However, this move did not sit well with a group of Congress legislators as they went to Delhi on Saturday to meet central leaders seeking their intervention, reported PTI.

 

Upon their return to Ranchi's Birsa Munda Airport, the MLAs expressed confidence that the Congress high command is closely monitoring the developments in Jharkhand and will take appropriate decisions at the right time. Jamtara MLA Irfan Ansari said that he had a detailed discussion with AICC general secretary KC Venugopal about the state Congress and ministerial appointments during their stay in Delhi.

#WATCH | Ranchi: Jharkhand Congress MLAs return from Delhi

Congress MLA Irfan Ansari says, " There was pressure from party workers and people, they didn't feel the cabinet expansion was done properly. So we reached Delhi and met the high command, and positive talks took place.… pic.twitter.com/YJ56GOOkj4

— ANI (@ANI) February 21, 2024

"Venugopal ji said that they have information about all the activities of Jharkhand and the party will take appropriate decisions...We gave a detailed report to him,” PTI quoted Ansari as saying. He also mentioned that the Congress MLAs would attend the Budget session of the Jharkhand assembly beginning from February 23.  "We do not want to give any opportunity to BJP", he added.

 

Mahagama MLA Deepika Pandey Singh said they had got positive indications during their stay in Delhi. The MLAs also added that the AICC officials asked the legislators to continue their "good work", as per PTI.

Controversy Over Inclusion Of Banna Gupta 

Following the state Congress' decision, Alamgir Alam, Rameshwar Oraon, Banna Gupta and Badal Patralekh became ministers again. Most of the disgruntled Congress MLAs objected to the inclusion 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. Gupta had termed the video fake and edited, reported PTI. 

 

State Congress chief Rajesh Thakur affirmed that the concerns raised by the 12 Congress legislators are under scrutiny. Notably, eight MLAs, including three from the Congress party, were sworn in as ministers in the 11-member Champai Soren cabinet on February 16.

 

 

Champai Soren assumed the role of Chief Minister following the arrest of his predecessor, Hemant Soren, by the ED on January 31, shortly after his resignation. Champai Soren won the trust vote with the support of 47 MLAs in the 81-member assembly.