Congress in no hurry for talks on govt formation in Jharkhand: Rao

Congress, which ran into JMM chief Shibu Soren's insistence on chief ministership in Jharkhand, Friday said it was not in a hurry to initiate talks for government formation in the state and disapproved of any precondition, a stand similar to that of its ally JVM(P).

Congress, which ran into JMM chief Shibu Soren's insistence on chief ministership in Jharkhand, Friday said it was not in a hurry to initiate talks for government formation in the state and disapproved of any precondition, a stand similar to that of its ally JVM(P).

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"Soren is insisting for CM's post. Imposing any pre-condition is not good in the process of dialogue," AICC in-charge of the state K Keshav Rao told PTI today.

Congress is also not comfortable with Soren's statement saying he did not consider BJP as communal and had never said so.

Rao said "let him say what he has to. We are not reacting to that. But for us, BJP is communal. Even Soren had earlier dubbed the BJP as communal".

The Congress leader sidestepped questions about the possibility of JMM, which has won 18 seats in the 81-member Jharkhand assembly, going with BJP.

His refrain was that a formal dialogue with secular parties in Jharkhand is yet to begin and only after the process starts "that we could know their position".

"We are not in a hurry," Rao said when asked when the consultations for the formation of a new government in the state will begin.

Sources in Congress, which spurned a pre-poll tie-up with JMM, indicated that accepting Shibu Soren as Chief Minister was not acceptable to it due to the "tainted" image of the tribal leader as the party wants a clean face to lead the state.