Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Sept 1: Amid the political turmoil in Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has hit out at the BJP accusing it of indulging in “political horse-trading,” even as senior leaders of the coalition on Thursday urged the governor Ramesh Bais of “clearing” the uncertainty over reported disqualification of the chief minister.
Holding the Raj-Bhavan sources for “purported selective leaks” about the Election Commission’s reported recommendation to disqualify Soren in an office of profit allegation, leaders of Jharkhand’s ruling JMM-Congress coalition called on the governor and complained to him that “leaks” from the Governor’s office are causing the commotion. In a letter the leaders requested that he “clear the air” amid uncertainty over Soren’s continuation as the Chief Minister and alleged attempts by the BJP to “destabilise” the government.
Referring to various news reports that were circulated citing Raj-Bhavan sources that the EC had disqualified Hemant Soren as an MLA, the leaders said various “leaks from the Governor’s office” were creating a “state of chaos, confusion and uncertainty which vitiates the administration and the governance of the state.”
The memorandum said since August 25, news outlets have widely reported, citing sources from the Governor’s office, that CM Soren has been disqualified by the Election Commission of India under Article 192(1) of the Constitution, read with section 9A of the Representation of People’s Act.
“You will appreciate that such news is being sensationalised in the local and national print and electronic media creating an atmosphere of political uncertainty and encouraging rumours of all hues and kinds. All these news items are being reported as being leaked from your Excellency’s office and this really unfortunate since Office of Governor being constitutional office, the public have a very high regard for the same and even a false rumour coming out of the office is taken at its face value to be correct,” the memorandum read.
It added: “This also encourages political brinkmanship to destabilise the democratically elected government headed by CM Soren by illegal means. Although, your excellency is yet to declare the EC opinion which is given in confidence to you… BJP has made public the opinion and demanded resignation of the CM, mid-term polls. As you (governor) are undoubtedly aware that disqualification, if any, of the CM will not have any effect on the government as the JMM-INC-RJD-Independents coalition will still enjoy an overwhelming majority.”
The letter to the Governor added that clearing the air over the matter would end efforts to destabilise the elected government by illicit means. “We request you to declare the EC opinion… Prompt action will serve the cause of democracy, and further delay will be against constitutional duties (which) your office is expected to uphold,” it read.
Congress working president Bandhu Tirkey later told reporters that the Governor has denied that the leaks are from his office and has assured that he would provide clarity on the situation within two days.
“The Chief Minister is not resigning. The Governor is seeking legal opinion and has assured that the situation will be made clear within two days. We also questioned how selective information is being leaked to media. He assured that the source is not in his office,” Tirkey said.
There have been multiple reports that the Election Commission has recommended the disqualification of the Chief Minister following a BJP complaint regarding an Office of Profit case. The BJP has alleged that he violated election rules by extending a mining lease to himself. There, however, has been no official announcement from the Governor.
The ruling coalition, meanwhile, has moved its MLAs to Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh, accusing the BJP of attempting an “Operation Lotus” to destabilise the government. But four ministers of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition returned to Ranchi on Wednesday evening to attend the cabinet meeting held on Thursday.
Even before the governor made the recommendation of the ECI about the chief minister public, the BJP has been demanding that the Chief Minister step down on “moral grounds” and a mid-term election be held. Reacting to the demand, Soren said “They only buy and sell MLAs but we work for the public and don’t do horse-trading. People will give answers to those who are doing business in politics.”
The Chief Minister also said he is not worried about this chief ministership, but about the people in Jharkhand. “I’m never worried about the chair. I only worry about the Dalits, Adivasis and people of the state.” On Saturday, Soren tweeted that he hailed from the tribal community and was unaffected by the ongoing slugfest.
Meanwhile, Congress leader and Health Minister Banna Gupta said a conspiracy was hatched to destabilize the government in the state. “A conspiracy was hatched to destabilize our state govt. Across the country, elected governments are being destabilised. Now, it has become a norm. Congress is firmly standing against it and there’s no crisis in govt,” Gupta said.
In the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, the ruling alliance has 49 MLAs including 30 MLAs of the JMM, 18 MLAs of the Congress and one MLA of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). The opposition BJP has only 26 members in the House.