Four Congress MLAs from Jharkhand, including party’s state unit working president Irfan Ansari, have met their central leaders in New Delhi to discuss measures to “strengthen the party”, appointment of party leaders in state-run boards and corporations, besides staking claim for the vacant berth in the Hemant Soren cabinet.
The visit comes barely three days after party’s state unit president and incumbent finance minister Rameshwar Oraon returned from Delhi after meeting top leaders.
Besides Ansari, the legislators camping in Delhi are Ramgarh MLA Mamta Devi, Barhi MLA Umashankar Akela and Khijri MLA Rajesh Kacchap.
The party currently has 18 legislators in 81-member Jharkhand assembly, including two former JVM (P) legislators who joined Congress following a split in their parent party after the 2019 assembly polls.
Ansari said the legislators led by him met party in-charge RPN Singh on Tuesday night and general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal on Wednesday and discussed measures to strengthen the party in the state.
Ansari has been one of most vocal voices in the state Congress seeking a change of guard in the state unit based on the principle of one person one post set by the central leadership.
“Our senior leaders Rameshwar Oraon and Alamgir Alam are good people. However, they are holding two posts. Had I been in their place, I would have quit one so that other party workers could get chance to serve and strengthen the party,” Ansari told media persons after meeting with the central leaders.
{{/usCountry}}“Our senior leaders Rameshwar Oraon and Alamgir Alam are good people. However, they are holding two posts. Had I been in their place, I would have quit one so that other party workers could get chance to serve and strengthen the party,” Ansari told media persons after meeting with the central leaders.
{{/usCountry}}Alam, the rural development minister, also holds the post of Congress legislature party leader in the assembly.
The group led by Ansari has also demanded that the vacant 12 berth in the state cabinet be filled with a Congress member. “The JMM is the lead party in the coalition government and chief minister is a very practical person. They should fill the vacant 12th berth in cabinet with a Congress member.”
Congress has similar demands in the past, but JMM, which has 30 legislators, has maintained that the 12th berth would go to it whenever the CM chooses to fill it.
Besides CM Soren, JMM currently has five ministers, Congress four and RJD one.