Governor reduces time for Soren Govt's trust vote

Under attack over his controversial decision to swear in the JMM chief as Jhakhand CM, Governor Syed Sibte Razi on Saturday advanced the date for trial of strength in the assembly from March 21 to March 15.

Under attack over his controversial decision to swear in the JMM chief as Jhakhand CM, Syed Sibte Razi on Saturday advanced the date for trial of strength in the assembly from March 21 to March 15.

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After a 30 minute meeting with President APJ Abdul Kalam, who had summoned him, the beleaguered Governor said "the way the situation has developed, I am going to pre-pone the date for proving majority (by the Government) by reducing the time for the purpose".

Asked when it would be held, he said a decision would be taken after holding talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Home Minister Shivraj Patil and consulting various parties.

Pointedly asked whether his Friday's decision was at the behest of any Presidential directive, he said, "it is not a good tradition to divulge the details of what transpired between Governor and President".

The Governor said he presented all the "constitutional and legal aspects" to the President who gave him a "patient hearing".

Razi said he had apprised the President of the political developments in the wake of the fractured mandate.

Referring to the SR Bommai Supreme Court verdict, he said, "the majority test should be on the floor of the House and so I have directed the Chief Minister to prove his majority in the Assembly by March 21 or before that".

Observing that it was not a normal Assembly and was a newly-elected one, Razi said he had given 20 days keeping in view the time factor involved in appointment of a pro-tem Speaker, oath by new members and Governor's address.

He said in such circumstances, normally 30 days is given for proving the majority but he had given three weeks.

On the Opposition charges that he was a "supari (contract) killer" acting at the behest of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Razi said he had been a Member of Parliament for 18 years and has served as a Minister and in various other capacities. "I have not even hurt a bird with a catapult, I can't think of violating the Constitution".

He hoped the situation in Jharkhand would improve like the "pleasant weather" in the capital.

Rashtrapati Bhavan sources said Razi explained to the President about his decision to invite the UPA to form the ministry in Jharkhand.

The Governor informed the President that he was considering taking a decision about advancing the date of floor test in the Assembly, the sources added.

Top NDA leaders had called on the President on Wednesday protesting the Governor's action and had paraded all its 41 supporting MLAs in the state before him.

SHIBU SOREN SWORN IN AS JHARKHAND CM

Shibu Soren was sworn in as chief minister of Jharkhand on Wednesday. But the man who can still unseat him — Enos Ekka, an MLA — is hundreds of kilometres away in Delhi, waiting to tell the president he is not with the new chief minister.

And this is enough to bring down Soren.

In staking his claim to the chair, Soren gave the governor a list of 42 MLAs. That gave him an edge in the 81-member assembly. But if just one MLA comes out in support of the NDA, the situation changes completely: Soren's group drops to 41 and the NDA goes up to 42.

And the one MLA who can make all this possible is Ekka. Soren has claimed his support (so has the NDA) but doesn't know for sure if he can count on it. So he reportedly grounded a flight in Ranchi that was taking NDA MLAs to Delhi for a numbers parade.

Sources said top civil officers were instructed to stop the plane from taking off. The brief: Ekka's father having filed an FIR that Ekka had been abducted by the NDA, the police would have to move on the assumption of criminal intent.

Ekka was understood to be on board with four other legislators including two from the All Jharkhand Students Union.

But Ekka is not on the flight. NDA sources said he had been smuggled by road to Bokaro and from there to Delhi by train.

Earlier in the day, Soren took over as chief minister after Governor Sibtey Razi formally invited him to form the government and gave him till March 21 to demonstrate his strength on the floor of the assembly. JMM rebel Stephen Marandi took oath as deputy chief minister.

The NDA combine cried foul over the governor's move. At a meeting with President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in New Delhi, it asked the Centre for Razi's "immediate recall". Lok Sabha was brought to a standstill as the BJP-led NDA members stonewalled the House over the Jharkhand issue.

In Ranchi and Jamshedpur following the governor's invitation to Soren. Trouble broke out with the NDA declaring an indefinite Jharkhand bandh.

Mobs went on a rampage in Ranchi, closing down shops and beating up people. Similar incidents took place in some other towns, including Jamshedpur.