RANCHI: With Avinash Pandey, who is in charge of the Jharkhand Congress, summoning 30 senior party leaders, including the four ministers, to New Delhi for further deliberations, speculation is rife that all is not well in the JMM-led coalition government in Jharkhand. This is not the first time that a rift has developed in the ruling alliance as the State Health Minister, hailing from the Congress, had alleged in February that efforts are being made by Chief Minister Hemant Soren to 'politically finish' the grand old party.
Sources in the Congress claimed that, miffed over CM Hemant Soren not responding to the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) proposal sent by the Congress, Pandey has called the 30 senior leaders, including four ministers and state party president Rajesh Thakur, to New Delhi for further deliberations.
Thakur asserted that they have been summoned by the Congress high command. “Party high command has called us to New Delhi to discuss how to strengthen the organization. All the 30 senior Congress leaders, including four ministers, are leaving for New Delhi today itself,” said Thakur. He, however, accepted that all is not well into the ruling alliance, but it happens in coalition governments.
Notably, CM Hemant Soren is said to have not responded to the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) proposal sent by the Congress party even after 29 days.
But the move by Pandey has left many in the party baffled. They claimed that meetings must have a purpose, further saying that calling them to Delhi put additional financial burden on many leaders, who don’t have much financial means.
“Two days back, he was in Ranchi where he could have held the meeting. Important issues of the party in Jharkhand are taking a back seat,” said one of the Congress leaders.
Notably, four days back a meeting with former presidents of the Jharkhand Congress and former heads of different morchas was held in New Delhi. These meetings have been called to mobilize and strengthen the support base of the party. Pande, according to the Congress leaders, took charge about two months back and has visited Jharkhand around eight times and organized a number of programmes so far. A three-day Chintan Shivir was also organized followed by divisional level workers’ meet, demonstrations and many other closed-door meetings on his directions, all of which did not produce any outcome, he said.