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BJP brass gives Soren swearing-in a miss
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) President Shibu Soren (64) was on Wednesday sworn in as chief minister of Jharkhand for the third time, ending over 11 months of President’s Rule in the Maoist-affected state.
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) President Shibu Soren (64) was on Wednesday sworn in as chief minister of Jharkhand for the third time, ending over 11 months of President’s Rule in the Maoist-affected state.
Along with Soren, state BJP president Raghuvar Das (54) and Sudesh Kumar Mahato (35), president of the All Jharkhand Students Union Party (AJSUP), were sworn in as cabinet members by Governor K. Sankaranarayanan. They were later named as deputy chief ministers by the new three-member cabinet.
The confidence motion would be moved in the assembly on January 7, Soren told presspersons after being sworn in.
He said providing foodgrains to the poor and water for agriculture would be his priorities.
Making a fresh offer of talks with the Maoists, Soren said, "We are ready for talks. They should shun violence and tell us what they want. Do they want to run the government? If so, how? They should come forward for talks."
In a break from practice, top BJP leaders stayed away from the swearing-in ceremony.
Party heavyweights L.K. Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Nitin Gadkari and Rajnath Singh stayed away from the event but Yashwant Sinha, who belongs to Jharkhand, attended it.
Though the party justified its partnership with Soren, saying he had been acquitted in his personal secretary’s the murder case, the decision is being seen as a move to keep a ‘safe’ distance from Soren. The BJP had earlier perceived Soren as a ‘tainted’ politician.
Soren is the seventh chief minister in the nine years since Jharkhand was formed. His two previous tenures as chief minister in 2005 and 2008-09 ended in just 10 days and four-and-a-half-months, respectively.
Soren has so far secured the support of 45 MLAs in the 81-member assembly.
Of them, 18 each are from the JMM and BJP, five from the AJSUP, two from the Janata Dal (United), one from the Jharkhand Janadhikar Manch and one is an Independent.
