Jharkhand CM Champai Soren amidst Congress turmoil: No threat to coalition govt

In the midst of brewing discontent within the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led coalition government in Jharkhand, Chief Minister Champai Soren has quashed concerns over its stability, asserting that the alliance remains steadfast.

Speaking from the national capital, Soren addressed media queries regarding reported resentment among a faction of Congress legislators following the induction of four party MLAs as ministers. He reassured that the coalition is "strong" and emphasized there is no imminent threat to the government's integrity.

"This is an internal matter of the Congress, they will resolve it. I have nothing to say about that. There is no conflict between the JMM and Congress, and everything is absolutely fine," remarked Soren confidently before his scheduled meeting with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.

The Chief Minister's remarks come amidst a backdrop of discord within the Congress ranks, with 12 MLAs expressing discontent over the distribution of ministerial positions. The dissatisfied legislators threatened to boycott the upcoming state assembly session slated to commence on February 23 if their grievances remain unaddressed.

The focal point of the dissatisfaction revolves around the allocation of ministerial berths to Congress MLAs Alamgir Alam, Rameshwar Oraon, Banna Gupta, and Badal Patralekh. These MLAs advocate for the enforcement of the 'one person, one post' principle, a demand reportedly endorsed by party leader Rahul Gandhi.

Jaimangal, representing the dissident group, highlighted the numerical disparity within the coalition, stating, "The Congress has 17 MLAs and the JMM (29). The JMM has already taken the chief minister and the speaker’s posts. They have six ministerial berths and we want the remaining one."

In response to the discontent, Congress state chief Rajesh Thakur assured that the concerns raised by the dissenting legislators are being deliberated upon.

The JMM-led alliance commands 47 MLAs in Jharkhand, comprising 29 from JMM, 17 from Congress, and one from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).