AgenciesThe ruling UPA in Jharkhand has asked all their MLAs to be in Ranchi, as the coalition waited for the governor's decision on chief minister Hemant Soren. The Election Commission on Thursday recommended disqualification of Soren as an MLA over the office of profit issue.
The UPA allies - Soren's JMM as well as Congress and RJD - which called a meeting of MLAs in the morning on Friday, also invited them to the CM's residence for a dinner where their signatures were taken, said UPA sources.
Forty-five of UPA's 50 MLAs attended the meeting, sources said. Three Congress MLAs are in jail in Kolkata after West Bengal Police allegedly seized cash from them.
"If needed, we can call those three MLAs too as they have not been terminated from the party and have only been suspended," Jharkhand Congress chief Rajesh Thakur told ET.
Of the 30 JMM MLAs, 29 attended the meeting as one member, Basant Soren, was in Delhi. Fifteen of Congress's 18 MLAs and the sole RJD member were also present. An independent MLA who supports the government couldn't be part of the meeting due to health issues, sources said.
All the MLAs expressed their confidence in the leadership of Soren and said they are ready for any decision made over leadership if a situation arises, they said.
Meanwhile, Soren attacked the BJP at a public programme in Netarhat. "Central agencies are being used to target us. But we are not scared. We are in the government because of the support of the people of Jharkhand and ready to face anything."
BJP, meanwhile, is waiting for the governor to make a decision. BJP leaders continued their attack on Soren and demanded his resignation. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey claimed UPA might shift their MLAs to Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh. "They don't have trust in their own MLAs and as per my information, they are planning to shift them to Chhattisgarh," Dubey told ET.
Congress' Rajesh Thakur denied any such move. JMM's Supriyo Bhattacharya claimed 16 BJP MLAs were in touch with the UPA.
The UPA allies - Soren's JMM as well as Congress and RJD - which called a meeting of MLAs in the morning on Friday, also invited them to the CM's residence for a dinner where their signatures were taken, said UPA sources.
Forty-five of UPA's 50 MLAs attended the meeting, sources said. Three Congress MLAs are in jail in Kolkata after West Bengal Police allegedly seized cash from them.
"If needed, we can call those three MLAs too as they have not been terminated from the party and have only been suspended," Jharkhand Congress chief Rajesh Thakur told ET.
Of the 30 JMM MLAs, 29 attended the meeting as one member, Basant Soren, was in Delhi. Fifteen of Congress's 18 MLAs and the sole RJD member were also present. An independent MLA who supports the government couldn't be part of the meeting due to health issues, sources said.
All the MLAs expressed their confidence in the leadership of Soren and said they are ready for any decision made over leadership if a situation arises, they said.
Meanwhile, Soren attacked the BJP at a public programme in Netarhat. "Central agencies are being used to target us. But we are not scared. We are in the government because of the support of the people of Jharkhand and ready to face anything."
BJP, meanwhile, is waiting for the governor to make a decision. BJP leaders continued their attack on Soren and demanded his resignation. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey claimed UPA might shift their MLAs to Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh. "They don't have trust in their own MLAs and as per my information, they are planning to shift them to Chhattisgarh," Dubey told ET.
Congress' Rajesh Thakur denied any such move. JMM's Supriyo Bhattacharya claimed 16 BJP MLAs were in touch with the UPA.
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