Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s barb to BJP: Resort politics not in our DNA

RANCHI: Chief minister Hemant Soren met the lawmakers of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Congress and the RJD to discuss the current political scenario in the state on Friday morning and dined with them at night as the cloud of uncertainty hung heavy over his future as CM and a member of the Jharkhand assembly for the second consecutive day.
Barring his legislator brother Basant (who missed his return flight from New Delhi in the morning), the three Congress MLAs — Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kacchap and Naman Bixal Kongari — and Ramgarh MLA Mamata Devi who became a mother a few days ago, were present at the meeting which continued for over two hours at Soren’s residential office on Kanke Road.
“Our flock of MLAs are intact and this government has the support of 50 legislators. Not only this government will complete its full term as per the mandate given by the state’s people but Hemant Soren will be its CM,” JMM spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said after the meeting. Bhattacharya even went on to claim that 16 BJP MLAs are in touch with them. “They are unhappy with the constant motormouthing of one of their Deoghar MPs, who hails from Bihar,” he added.
All eyes were on the CM House since morning after BJP’s Godda MP Nishikant Dubey put out a tweet claiming that the Mahagathbandhan was planning to move their lawmakers to Chattisgarh in three buses to a resort. However, the Mahagathbandhan categorically denied the claims and said resort politics was not in their political DNA.
“Resort politics is done by those who have surplus money and live their lives in luxury. We live in small houses, often in jhopris (thatched houses),” health minister Banna Gupta said. Finance minister Rameshwar Oraon also rejected the speculations of resort politics as “rubbish”.
Speaking to TOI, another Congress MLA said Soren himself raised the issue during the meeting. “Whether he saw the tweet or someone suggested it to him, I don’t know. But during the meeting, the CM raised the issue himself and said this was not going to happen as it was not in our political DNA. He did not show signs of weakness or anxiety. Instead, he said the current political fight has boiled down to a fight of ideologies,” the MLA said.
The JMM camp is, however, confident that there would not be a change of guard.
“As far as we have learnt, the CM may get disqualified but he will not be barred from contesting the elections. In such a scenario, he will stake claim to form the government after his disqualification and contest the bypolls from Barhait constituency within six months,” a senior JMM office bearer told TOI.
Congress president Rajesh Thakur said several such meetings of the alliance MLAs will be held in the coming days to deliberate on the political situation as and when they unfold.