The Munda government has a week’s time to prove its majority in the Jharkhand Assembly, but its fate by all accounts appears to have been sealed.
NEW DELHI: The Munda government has a week’s time to prove its majority in the Jharkhand Assembly, but its fate by all accounts appears to have been sealed. Four out of the five rebel MLA’s met the state Governor Syed Sibte Razi late on Tuesday night and then scurried back to Delhi to plan their future strategy.
Following Tuesday night’s dramatic events in Ranchi, where the four legislators had to battle through angry BJP supporters to meet the Governor, the scene has now shifted to the Capital. Most of the UPA MLA’s have now left Ranchi and are either in Delhi on their way to the capital, to avoid being poached upon by the desperate Munda government.
The four main protagonists led by Madhu Khoda, widely tipped to head the next government in the state are currently housed in the safety of noted lawyer and Congress leader RK Anand’s luxurious farmhouse on the outskirts of the capital, while the 9 Congress MLA’s are currently enconsed at a guest house in Haryana, their security underwritten by the Hooda Government.
The UPA is taking no chances. Chastened by its experience, when some of the independents were whisked away from right under their noses, this time a strict watch is being kept on them. Plain-clothes policeman are keeping a watch and access to the MLA’s is limited. Similarly the 17 JMM and 7 RJD MLA’s have also been moved out of the state. RJD Chief Lalu Prasad is reported to have shifted some of his MLA’s initially to Kolkata but now all of them are being brought to Delhi.
Meanwhile, the Congress leadership is weighing up its options. The main priority is to ensure that the Munda government is defeated on the floor of the House. Once the floor test is out of the way, the party will think about joining the government. However the dominant feeling is that it should support the new government from outside. The UPA leaders are also trying to persuade Shibu Soren to give up his claims on the chief ministership. The argument being put forward is that since the four independents hold the key to whichever government is formed in the state, Khoda should be allowed to head it so that it is stable.
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