All doubts over alliance will be clear soon: Hemant

Ranchi: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s (JMM) announcement of a Rajya Sabha candidate has only added to the growing frustration of their ally Congress which has been growing for over two years.
Elected to the office in December 2019, the Mahagathbandhan government of JMM, Congress and the RJD has had differences over cabinet berths. Much to the disappointment of the Congress, chief minister Hemant Soren has been reluctant to appoint a Congress minister as his 12th member of the cabinet, which has been lying vacant since the government was formed.
Jharkhand Congress leadership, under its previous president Rameshwar Oraon and the incumbent Rajesh Thakur, have on several occasions approached the JMM for drafting a common minimum programme for prioritising the government’s focus areas on development. “But despite repeated requests, the government has been ignoring our demands,” Congress party’s Mahgama MLA Deepika Pandey Singh said.
While Congress ministers have in hushed tones complained about the overarching presence of Soren and the involvement of his office in every policy decisions they take, the party’s lawmakers have complained openly about the reluctance of the administrative officials to listen to their grievances. “The district level officials just do not pay heed to what we say,” Jamtara MLA Irfan Ansari said.
JMM spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya, when contacted, refused to comment. “Now is not the time to say anything on this,” he told TOI.
Soren, when asked about the dissent within the Congress rank and file and the future of the alliance, said: “Running for elections and running a government are two different things entirely. The doubts which you have in mind will be clear in a few days. All you need to do is watch.”
In a sign of things to come, JMM lawmaker Sudivya Kumar said that his party will support Congress candidate in the upcoming Mandar bypolls. “The seat belongs to Congress and Bandhu Da (Tirkey). We will extend our support and campaign for Congress candidate,” he told TOI.