JMM threatens to topple Koda govt if Soren not made CM

NEW DELHI: Jharkhand looked inching towards a political crisis with chief minister Madhu Koda asserting that he was firmly in place even as Jharkhand Mukti Morcha warned of a "big surprise" soon if its leader Shibu Soren was not allowed to replace him.
The surprise, a top JMM leader said, would mean the party withdrawing its support to the Koda government, "irrespective of the consequences"."Our MLAs and MPs will meet in Ranchi on August 17. If the UPA leadership in Delhi fails to accommodate our demand, we will not have any option than pulling out," he said.
JMM has 17 MLAs and its five MPs supported the UPA government during the July 22 trust vote with an "understanding" that Soren would become Union coal minister and another MP would be made a minister of state.
Soren, however, soon changed his mind and started aiming for the politically prudent move of becoming chief minister for the remaining two years of the Assembly's life. Playing on the sides, the Congress did not object to the arrangement, but passed the onus on to Koda.
Lying low for a while when Koda even said that a senior leader like Soren should become CM, he surfaced in the Capital on Monday only to say that his government faced no threat and would complete its term.
Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad, who played an instrumental role in installing Koda in office, is understood to be firmly opposed to any change of guard. The RJD has substantial political stakes in Jharkhand and most fodder scam cases against Lalu are also at different stages of trial in the state.
The JMM leader, however, said that the party would not be interested in any more "waiting games" after August 17. "It is strange that Delhi (government) has become stable but Jharkhand is turning unstable. Some senior UPA politicians are blocking the way of our leader," he said.