E-Paper
Jharkhand politics: 4 Congress ministers return to Ranchi for cabinet meeting
While 31 legislators, 19 from Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and 12 from Congress, arrived in Raipur on Tuesday, Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and five JMM ministers stayed back in Ranchi along with some other legislators
A day after 31 MLAs from the ruling United Progressive Alliance in Jharkhand were moved from Ranchi to Raipur, four Congress ministers returned to the state capital on Wednesday, reportedly for a cabinet meeting scheduled for Thursday.
However, the number of UPA MLAs, excluding the four ministers, rose to 28 after one more Congress legislator, Pradeep Yadav, arrived in Raipur on Wednesday. The Sole RLD MLA Satyanand Bhokta, who is the Jharkhand welfare minister, too reached the Chhattisgarh capital on the same flight as Yadav, but returned to Ranchi with the four Congress ministers.
Speaking to the media at Raipur airport, Jharkhand’s rural development minister Alamgir Alam said, “We all know what the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has done in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and other states. After our CM was disqualified, we are taking all precautionary measures. We are not in fear as we have the numbers.”
Alam, who is also the Congress legislature party leader, said that the ministers will return to Raipur after Thursday’s cabinet meeting.
Also Read:Soren moves MLAs out of J’khand amid turmoil
While 31 legislators, 19 from Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and 12 from Congress, arrived in Raipur on Tuesday, Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and five JMM ministers stayed back in Ranchi along with some other legislators.
On Wednesday evening, Chhattisgarh chief minister and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel went to the Mayfair Hotel to meet the Jharkhand MLAs.
“The ruling alliance partners in Jharkhand – the JMM and Congress – decided to bring its MLAs to Chhattisgarh... as the BJP has been indulging in horse trading. Recently, three MLAs (of Congress in Jharkhand) were held in West Bengal (with cash). The election commission has sent some letters to Jharkhand Raj Bhavan...it has now been a week but that communiqué is yet to be made public. Something feels off,” Baghel said.
The BJP slammed the Congress, with the saffron party’s vice-president and former Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh saying, “Chhattisgarh is not a den of indulgence where you are serving liquor and chicken to Jharkhand MLAs with the money of the people of this state. After Assam and Haryana, MLAs of Jharkhand are stationed here. Chhattisgarh Mahtari (Mother Chhattisgarh) will never forgive you for this immoral act.”
When asked about Singh’s comments, Baghel said, “Why did Raman Singh not speak when MLAs of other parties in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan were picked up and shifted (to states ruled by the BJP)? He is worried about how they (BJP) will do horse trading now.”
