JMM, Congress MLAs back in Jharkhand ahead of floor test
Thirty-five legislators of the ruling JMM and Congress alliance, who were camping in Hyderabad, returned to Ranchi on Sunday, a day before the newly formed Champai Soren government is scheduled to prove its majority in the state assembly on Monday.
Thirty-five legislators of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress alliance, who were camping in Hyderabad, returned to Ranchi on Sunday, a day before the newly formed Champai Soren government is scheduled to prove its majority in the state assembly on Monday.
Champai Soren took oath as chief minister on Friday after a dramatic arrest of his predecessor Hemant Soren by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over money laundering allegations two days earlier. An hour after the swearing-in ceremony, the chief minister held his first cabinet meeting, after which 35 lawmakers were sent to Hyderabad to prevent any possible attempts by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to lure members of the ruling alliance to its fold.
The legislators arrived at the Circuit House in Ranchi where they will be stationed together overnight before leaving for the assembly on Monday morning, people aware of the details said.
“Our MLAs are united... We have the support of 48 to 50 legislators,” minister Alamgir Alam said.
In the assembly, the ruling alliance appears comfortably placed.
In the 81-member assembly, the coalition that includes the JMM, Congress, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninist) has 48 seats while the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance has 32, of which the BJP holds 26. One seat is vacant.
A special court in Ranchi on Saturday also allowed former chief minister Hemant Soren to attend the floor test on Monday.
“We are confident of a victory. Besides our speaker, we have the support of 47 legislators, six more than the magic number. Of them, 43 have signed the letter of support. Of the other four JMM legislators who have not signed the letter due to various reasons, Sita Soren and Lobin Hembrom have extended their support. One legislator, Ramdas Soren, is undergoing medical treatment in Delhi and is unlikely to return home for six months. The fourth JMM legislator, Chamra Linda, would also vote for us,” JMM general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya said.
Hembron, who had earlier rebelled against the Hemant Soren government over various demands, on Sunday announced his support for Champai Soren after he met JMM founder Shibu Soren and legislatorBasant Soren.
“I fully support the Champai Soren government and would be present in the House. However, I will continue to raise the demands that I have been raising before the Hemant Soren government as well. If they are not met, we will continue to protest,” Hembrom told reporters.
Hembrom is seeking a liquor prohibition in the state, strict implement of CNT and SPT Acts, which protect the land rights of the tribals, land acquisition after approval from the gram sabha, grant of mining lease after approval from the gram sabha and establishment of a displacement commission to resolve the grievances of those who have been displaced for the construction of various developmental projects.
The BJP alleged the parties in the ruling alliance are not confident of clearing the floor test.
“Had they been confident, there would have been no need for them to take the MLAs to Hyderabad. As per my information, five policemen and Congress workers were deployed with each legislator. They were almost locked in hotel rooms. Both JMM and Congress are battling internal contradictions,” BJP chief whip Biranchi Narayan said.
The political crisis in the state began on Wednesday night, when ED arrested Hemant Soren minutes after he resigned as chief minister. In a letter addressed to his party’s legislators before his arrest, Hemant Soren confirmed Champai Soren as the new legislature party leader. “If I am arrested, in such a situation, after due consideration, I have decided to nominate Champai Soren as the new leader of the legislature party,” he wrote.
Hemant Soren (48) was arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with ED’s probe into an alleged land scam in the state. ED says it has evidence that he is a key beneficiary in alleged land related irregularities in Ranchi, where a network of brokers and businessmen were allegedly working over the years to create fake deeds of landed parcels by forging records in the registrar offices and further selling them off.
Hemant Soren, who is the third Jharkhand chief minister to be arrested after his father Shibu Soren and Madhu Koda, dismissed the charges as politically motivated and said details of his assets are public.
Meanwhile, the Ranchi district administration took stock of security arrangements for the assembly session.
People aware of the details said ED officials are unlikely to be allowed to enter the assembly. “The vidhan sabha security is likely to take control once Hemant Soren reaches the assembly,” one of them said.