28/04/2010
New Delhi/Jharkhand: A wounded on Wednesday BJP decided to punish JMM chief Shibu Soren for his act of betrayal. At a parliamentary board meeting in New Delhi, the saffron party decided to pull the plug on its coalition partner in Jharkhand.
Soren's vote an act of betrayal, says BJP
Calling Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren's action of voting with the government in Lok Sabha an "act of betrayal", BJP on Wednesday convened a parliamentary board meeting to discuss the future of ties with JMM in Jharkhand where the two parties run a coalition government.
Senior party leaders said that BJP has taken very serious note of Soren's action and is not buying the explanation given by Soren's son Hemant that it has happened by mistake even as the Chief Minister wondered "what difference will it (his vote) make".
"The voting in favour of UPA by Soren is an act of betrayal. The manner in which he has voted is a betrayal of coalition dharma. We have taken it very seriously. Senior party leaders will take a call on it," senior BJP leader Prakash Javdekar said.
Another party leader Venkaiah Naidu echoed similar views saying "it's a clear betrayal". "You can't be heading a government with the support of BJP, be in opposition and at the same time, support the ruling party at the Centre. It is not acceptable. On what to do the party will meet and discuss. It is a serious issue," he said.
Naidu also refused to buy the explanation given by Hemant Soren on the issue that his father voted for UPA in a mistake. Senior party leader from Jharkhand Yashwant Sinha said, "He (Soren) is there (on the Chief Minister's chair) in Jharkhand with our support. Therefore, the least that was expected of him that he would not go to this stage. He could have stayed neutral."
Asked whether the BJP would take any action into the matter, Sinha said, "We will sit down and take stock of the situation." Sinha said Soren's action showed "perhaps, he has some plans up his sleeve."
Sources said that after Soren sprung a surprise yesterday by voting with the government on the cut motions moved by BJP and the Left, the BJP top brass was livid and held discussions with the JMM chief.
Soren had a meeting with BJP president Nitin Gadkari last night where his decision not to vote with the BJP came up for discussion. Gadkari has called a meeting of the BJP parliamentary board, the highest decision making body of the party, to deliberate on the issue.
With Soren voting along with the UPA government, speculation is rife that he may have struck a deal with the Congress-led government. Sources said he may bargain for a berth in the Union Cabinet and make his son Hemant the deputy chief minister in Jharkhand.
Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik Chief Babulal Marandi may then become the Chief Minister in a coalition government of the Congress, JMM and JVN. In the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, Congress has 14 MLAs, JMM has 18 and JVM(P) has 11 MLAs.
Asked about JMM's sudden support on the cut motions, Hemant Soren, today claimed that it happened by "mistake" and made it clear there was no move to form a government in Jharkhand with Congress backing.
Soren's deal with Cong: Making son deputy CM?
Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren voted for the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in the cut motion on Tuesday. It has set off speculation that there may be new power equation in the state and alter his relation with the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), his coalition partner.
A shocked BJP said after the vote that it has taken note of Soren's act in the Parliament. Soren, still a member of the Lok Sabha, made a rare appearance to spring a surprise on the BJP.
"We have taken note of it," a senior BJP leader said outside the Parliament, indicating that Soren could face trouble in the state.
"Soren has clearly ditched us. Now we are going to review our stand to support the government led by him," said BJP's state unit spokesperson Sanjay Seth.
BJP sources said Soren may have struck a deal with the Congress under which he may move to the Centre and make his son Hemant the Deputy Chief Minister of Jharkhand.
JMM says voting in cut motion a 'mistake'
In a damage control exercise after BJP's ally JMM supported the government in the cut motions in Lok Sabha, its MP Hemant Soren on Wednesday claimed that it happened by "mistake" and made it clear there was no move to form a government in Jharkhand with Congress backing.
"It has happened by mistake. It is a human error which happens due to confusion during voting. We met BJP President Nitin Gadkari last night and explained to him the real position," Hemant, Rajya Sabha MP and son of Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren said.
JMM's sudden support to the UPA on the cut motions had yesterday set off speculation that new power equations may emerge in the tribal state and alter the party's ties with coalition partner BJP.
A shocked BJP had said after the vote that it has taken note of Shibu Soren's act in Lok Sabha of "ditching" the coalition partner. Soren, still a member of the House, had made a rare appearance to spring the surprise on BJP.
Dismissing the speculation that there was any move to form a government in Jharkhand with Congress support, Hemant said, "It is all rumour. There is no truth in it."
BJP had earlier claimed that Soren and another JMM MP Kameshwar Baitha would vote with the NDA. Baitha, who is in jail, did not turn up.
For BJP, Soren gave them the unkindest cut
New Delhi: With Mayawati's support and helped by the SP-RJD walkout, the UPA breezed through the trial of strength in the Lok Sabha today but what added insult to the BJP's injury was the fact that Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren, propped up by the NDA, voted for the UPA.
Having served as Chief Minister of Jharkhand for around four months now, Soren technically continues to be a member of Lok Sabha.
The BJP was incensed. "He (Soren) has clearly ditched us. Now we are going to review our stand to support the government led by him," said BJP's state unit spokesperson Sanjay Seth.
After having serious differences with Soren on ways to tackle Maoists, the CM's decision today could lead to eventual parting of ways of two uneasy allies in the state, said a senior BJP leader.
Party leaders were not willing to say much on record, though. Most of them said the party had "taken note of the development" and "some action would definitely be taken against Soren".
Soren, who quietly slipped out of Parliament after the vote, made vague statements on his decision. "Jo kiya, so kiya (whatever had to be done, was done)," he said.
Soren's act, in a way, became the highlight of an evening when the vote on the cut motion got reduced to an academic exercise after the BSP, SP and the RJD didn't join the Opposition.
A cut motion moved by CPI's Gurudas Dasgupta was defeated by a margin of 88 votes (201-289), while another cut motion moved by Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj was defeated by a 162-246 division.
Soren, next to Trinamool's Sudeep Bandopadhyay and DMK's TKS Elangovan, had earlier hit the red button when the first motion was put to vote implying he was opposing the BJP's motion.
BJP Deputy Leader Gopinath Munde walked up to him to check if something was amiss but Soren was again seen filling up the red slip, supporting the UPA.
JD (U) leader Sharad Yadav and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey asked Soren about his support to UPA and Dubey was then seen apprising senior leaders Advani, Sushma and Yashwant Sinha about Soren's vote.
A senior BJP leader, requesting anonymity, reflected the wider mood in the party, and said that most MPs "were uniformly incensed" by Soren's action and many had called for "withdrawal of party support" to the Soren-led government. Some BJP leaders felt Soren "may have cut a deal with the Congress, with a key role for his son Hemant Soren and Babulal Marandi in the state".
A visibly happy Hemant, however, refused to comment, when contacted by The Indian Express, at Parliament House premises.
BJP general secretary and former Jharkhand BJP chief Arjun Munda told The Indian Express that "the party would each a definitive decision in a day or two, even when they had taken the issue very seriously".
A BJP leader also claimed that Soren's action was a "result of CBI pressure on Soren". On Monday, however, the BJP Parliamentary Party spokesperson had said that Soren, as also another JMM MP, Kameshwar Baitha (who's in jail), "would vote along with the NDA and the non-Congress bloc" on cut motions.
The Congress sought to downplay Soren's vote maintaining that the JMM continued to be with the UPA at the Centre notwithstanding its alliance with the BJP in the state. Congress sources said the "party was still open to the idea of forming a Congress-JMM government in Jharkhand if, "at any point of time, Shibu gives up his claim for the CM's post".
AICC in-charge of Jharkhand K Keshava Rao told The Indian Express that he was "constantly in touch" with the JMM chief to "ensure" that he supported the UPA government when it came to cut motions.
"He (Soren) is with the UPA. His support to the government at the Centre and his alliance with the BJP in the state are entirely different issues. I did ask him that he must vote for the government in Parliament. Frankly, we are not taking his vote that seriously."
Asked about the party's stance if Soren were to seek Congress's support in future to form the government in the state, Rao said, "It is true that we did not want him as Chief Minister. There is not much to talk about it right now."
Soren's move comes at a time when he has failed to persuade any one of his party's 18 MLAs -- including his son Hemant and daughter-in-law Sita -- to quit an Assembly seat to help him win before June 30 to stay in power.
Also, on July 20, the apex court is slated to hear the kidnapping and murder case of his private secretary Shashi Nath Jha dating back to 1994. Jha's brother Vijaynath, daughter Preeti and friend and co-petitioner Mukesh Baba had appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to get them justice.
His allies suspect that Soren, who lost the Tamar bypoll only to quit as the CM leading to imposition of President's rule in Jharkhand on January 19 last year, may not contest polls and, instead, enter into a bargain with the UPA partners to instal son Hemant as CM.
Said Deepak Kumar, JD(U)'s district unit secretary: "Everybody knows Guruji (Soren) does not do anything without weighing its pros and cons."
The JMM in the state declined to comment but its senor leader Suraj Mandal sought to play it down: "As far as I know, he voted for the UPA by sheer mistake...he pressed the wrong button."
For BJP, Soren gave them the unkindest cut
New Delhi: With Mayawati's support and helped by the SP-RJD walkout, the UPA breezed through the trial of strength in the Lok Sabha today but what added insult to the BJP's injury was the fact that Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren, propped up by the NDA, voted for the UPA.
Having served as Chief Minister of Jharkhand for around four months now, Soren technically continues to be a member of Lok Sabha.
The BJP was incensed. "He (Soren) has clearly ditched us. Now we are going to review our stand to support the government led by him," said BJP's state unit spokesperson Sanjay Seth.
After having serious differences with Soren on ways to tackle Maoists, the CM's decision today could lead to eventual parting of ways of two uneasy allies in the state, said a senior BJP leader.
Party leaders were not willing to say much on record, though. Most of them said the party had "taken note of the development" and "some action would definitely be taken against Soren".
Soren, who quietly slipped out of Parliament after the vote, made vague statements on his decision. "Jo kiya, so kiya (whatever had to be done, was done)," he said.
Soren's act, in a way, became the highlight of an evening when the vote on the cut motion got reduced to an academic exercise after the BSP, SP and the RJD didn't join the Opposition.
A cut motion moved by CPI's Gurudas Dasgupta was defeated by a margin of 88 votes (201-289), while another cut motion moved by Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj was defeated by a 162-246 division.
Soren, next to Trinamool's Sudeep Bandopadhyay and DMK's TKS Elangovan, had earlier hit the red button when the first motion was put to vote implying he was opposing the BJP's motion.
BJP Deputy Leader Gopinath Munde walked up to him to check if something was amiss but Soren was again seen filling up the red slip, supporting the UPA.
JD (U) leader Sharad Yadav and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey asked Soren about his support to UPA and Dubey was then seen apprising senior leaders Advani, Sushma and Yashwant Sinha about Soren's vote.
A senior BJP leader, requesting anonymity, reflected the wider mood in the party, and said that most MPs "were uniformly incensed" by Soren's action and many had called for "withdrawal of party support" to the Soren-led government. Some BJP leaders felt Soren "may have cut a deal with the Congress, with a key role for his son Hemant Soren and Babulal Marandi in the state".
A visibly happy Hemant, however, refused to comment, when contacted by The Indian Express, at Parliament House premises.
BJP general secretary and former Jharkhand BJP chief Arjun Munda told The Indian Express that "the party would each a definitive decision in a day or two, even when they had taken the issue very seriously".
A BJP leader also claimed that Soren's action was a "result of CBI pressure on Soren". On Monday, however, the BJP Parliamentary Party spokesperson had said that Soren, as also another JMM MP, Kameshwar Baitha (who's in jail), "would vote along with the NDA and the non-Congress bloc" on cut motions.
The Congress sought to downplay Soren's vote maintaining that the JMM continued to be with the UPA at the Centre notwithstanding its alliance with the BJP in the state. Congress sources said the "party was still open to the idea of forming a Congress-JMM government in Jharkhand if, "at any point of time, Shibu gives up his claim for the CM's post".
AICC in-charge of Jharkhand K Keshava Rao told The Indian Express that he was "constantly in touch" with the JMM chief to "ensure" that he supported the UPA government when it came to cut motions.
"He (Soren) is with the UPA. His support to the government at the Centre and his alliance with the BJP in the state are entirely different issues. I did ask him that he must vote for the government in Parliament. Frankly, we are not taking his vote that seriously."
Asked about the party's stance if Soren were to seek Congress's support in future to form the government in the state, Rao said, "It is true that we did not want him as Chief Minister. There is not much to talk about it right now."
Soren's move comes at a time when he has failed to persuade any one of his party's 18 MLAs -- including his son Hemant and daughter-in-law Sita -- to quit an Assembly seat to help him win before June 30 to stay in power.
Also, on July 20, the apex court is slated to hear the kidnapping and murder case of his private secretary Shashi Nath Jha dating back to 1994. Jha's brother Vijaynath, daughter Preeti and friend and co-petitioner Mukesh Baba had appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to get them justice.
His allies suspect that Soren, who lost the Tamar bypoll only to quit as the CM leading to imposition of President's rule in Jharkhand on January 19 last year, may not contest polls and, instead, enter into a bargain with the UPA partners to instal son Hemant as CM.
Said Deepak Kumar, JD(U)'s district unit secretary: "Everybody knows Guruji (Soren) does not do anything without weighing its pros and cons."
The JMM in the state declined to comment but its senor leader Suraj Mandal sought to play it down: "As far as I know, he voted for the UPA by sheer mistake...he pressed the wrong button."
Source: The Indian Express
K.Venugopal
#2
Wednesday, 28 April 2010 14:21:35
The BJP should not in the first place have supported Shibu Soren for the CM's post. When will the BJP understand that more important than tasting power in bits and pieces and in second-fiddle positions would be to build up credibility? In Karnataka, the BJP would one day pay a heavy price for keeping the company of the notorious blackmailers the Reddy brothers.
http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3863396&page=0
New Delhi/Jharkhand: A wounded on Wednesday BJP decided to punish JMM chief Shibu Soren for his act of betrayal. At a parliamentary board meeting in New Delhi, the saffron party decided to pull the plug on its coalition partner in Jharkhand.
Soren's vote an act of betrayal, says BJP
Calling Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren's action of voting with the government in Lok Sabha an "act of betrayal", BJP on Wednesday convened a parliamentary board meeting to discuss the future of ties with JMM in Jharkhand where the two parties run a coalition government.
Senior party leaders said that BJP has taken very serious note of Soren's action and is not buying the explanation given by Soren's son Hemant that it has happened by mistake even as the Chief Minister wondered "what difference will it (his vote) make".
"The voting in favour of UPA by Soren is an act of betrayal. The manner in which he has voted is a betrayal of coalition dharma. We have taken it very seriously. Senior party leaders will take a call on it," senior BJP leader Prakash Javdekar said.
Another party leader Venkaiah Naidu echoed similar views saying "it's a clear betrayal". "You can't be heading a government with the support of BJP, be in opposition and at the same time, support the ruling party at the Centre. It is not acceptable. On what to do the party will meet and discuss. It is a serious issue," he said.
Naidu also refused to buy the explanation given by Hemant Soren on the issue that his father voted for UPA in a mistake. Senior party leader from Jharkhand Yashwant Sinha said, "He (Soren) is there (on the Chief Minister's chair) in Jharkhand with our support. Therefore, the least that was expected of him that he would not go to this stage. He could have stayed neutral."
Asked whether the BJP would take any action into the matter, Sinha said, "We will sit down and take stock of the situation." Sinha said Soren's action showed "perhaps, he has some plans up his sleeve."
Sources said that after Soren sprung a surprise yesterday by voting with the government on the cut motions moved by BJP and the Left, the BJP top brass was livid and held discussions with the JMM chief.
Soren had a meeting with BJP president Nitin Gadkari last night where his decision not to vote with the BJP came up for discussion. Gadkari has called a meeting of the BJP parliamentary board, the highest decision making body of the party, to deliberate on the issue.
With Soren voting along with the UPA government, speculation is rife that he may have struck a deal with the Congress-led government. Sources said he may bargain for a berth in the Union Cabinet and make his son Hemant the deputy chief minister in Jharkhand.
Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik Chief Babulal Marandi may then become the Chief Minister in a coalition government of the Congress, JMM and JVN. In the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, Congress has 14 MLAs, JMM has 18 and JVM(P) has 11 MLAs.
Asked about JMM's sudden support on the cut motions, Hemant Soren, today claimed that it happened by "mistake" and made it clear there was no move to form a government in Jharkhand with Congress backing.
Soren's deal with Cong: Making son deputy CM?
Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren voted for the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in the cut motion on Tuesday. It has set off speculation that there may be new power equation in the state and alter his relation with the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), his coalition partner.
A shocked BJP said after the vote that it has taken note of Soren's act in the Parliament. Soren, still a member of the Lok Sabha, made a rare appearance to spring a surprise on the BJP.
"We have taken note of it," a senior BJP leader said outside the Parliament, indicating that Soren could face trouble in the state.
"Soren has clearly ditched us. Now we are going to review our stand to support the government led by him," said BJP's state unit spokesperson Sanjay Seth.
BJP sources said Soren may have struck a deal with the Congress under which he may move to the Centre and make his son Hemant the Deputy Chief Minister of Jharkhand.
JMM says voting in cut motion a 'mistake'
In a damage control exercise after BJP's ally JMM supported the government in the cut motions in Lok Sabha, its MP Hemant Soren on Wednesday claimed that it happened by "mistake" and made it clear there was no move to form a government in Jharkhand with Congress backing.
"It has happened by mistake. It is a human error which happens due to confusion during voting. We met BJP President Nitin Gadkari last night and explained to him the real position," Hemant, Rajya Sabha MP and son of Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren said.
JMM's sudden support to the UPA on the cut motions had yesterday set off speculation that new power equations may emerge in the tribal state and alter the party's ties with coalition partner BJP.
A shocked BJP had said after the vote that it has taken note of Shibu Soren's act in Lok Sabha of "ditching" the coalition partner. Soren, still a member of the House, had made a rare appearance to spring the surprise on BJP.
Dismissing the speculation that there was any move to form a government in Jharkhand with Congress support, Hemant said, "It is all rumour. There is no truth in it."
BJP had earlier claimed that Soren and another JMM MP Kameshwar Baitha would vote with the NDA. Baitha, who is in jail, did not turn up.
For BJP, Soren gave them the unkindest cut
New Delhi: With Mayawati's support and helped by the SP-RJD walkout, the UPA breezed through the trial of strength in the Lok Sabha today but what added insult to the BJP's injury was the fact that Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren, propped up by the NDA, voted for the UPA.
Having served as Chief Minister of Jharkhand for around four months now, Soren technically continues to be a member of Lok Sabha.
The BJP was incensed. "He (Soren) has clearly ditched us. Now we are going to review our stand to support the government led by him," said BJP's state unit spokesperson Sanjay Seth.
After having serious differences with Soren on ways to tackle Maoists, the CM's decision today could lead to eventual parting of ways of two uneasy allies in the state, said a senior BJP leader.
Party leaders were not willing to say much on record, though. Most of them said the party had "taken note of the development" and "some action would definitely be taken against Soren".
Soren, who quietly slipped out of Parliament after the vote, made vague statements on his decision. "Jo kiya, so kiya (whatever had to be done, was done)," he said.
Soren's act, in a way, became the highlight of an evening when the vote on the cut motion got reduced to an academic exercise after the BSP, SP and the RJD didn't join the Opposition.
A cut motion moved by CPI's Gurudas Dasgupta was defeated by a margin of 88 votes (201-289), while another cut motion moved by Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj was defeated by a 162-246 division.
Soren, next to Trinamool's Sudeep Bandopadhyay and DMK's TKS Elangovan, had earlier hit the red button when the first motion was put to vote implying he was opposing the BJP's motion.
BJP Deputy Leader Gopinath Munde walked up to him to check if something was amiss but Soren was again seen filling up the red slip, supporting the UPA.
JD (U) leader Sharad Yadav and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey asked Soren about his support to UPA and Dubey was then seen apprising senior leaders Advani, Sushma and Yashwant Sinha about Soren's vote.
A senior BJP leader, requesting anonymity, reflected the wider mood in the party, and said that most MPs "were uniformly incensed" by Soren's action and many had called for "withdrawal of party support" to the Soren-led government. Some BJP leaders felt Soren "may have cut a deal with the Congress, with a key role for his son Hemant Soren and Babulal Marandi in the state".
A visibly happy Hemant, however, refused to comment, when contacted by The Indian Express, at Parliament House premises.
BJP general secretary and former Jharkhand BJP chief Arjun Munda told The Indian Express that "the party would each a definitive decision in a day or two, even when they had taken the issue very seriously".
A BJP leader also claimed that Soren's action was a "result of CBI pressure on Soren". On Monday, however, the BJP Parliamentary Party spokesperson had said that Soren, as also another JMM MP, Kameshwar Baitha (who's in jail), "would vote along with the NDA and the non-Congress bloc" on cut motions.
The Congress sought to downplay Soren's vote maintaining that the JMM continued to be with the UPA at the Centre notwithstanding its alliance with the BJP in the state. Congress sources said the "party was still open to the idea of forming a Congress-JMM government in Jharkhand if, "at any point of time, Shibu gives up his claim for the CM's post".
AICC in-charge of Jharkhand K Keshava Rao told The Indian Express that he was "constantly in touch" with the JMM chief to "ensure" that he supported the UPA government when it came to cut motions.
"He (Soren) is with the UPA. His support to the government at the Centre and his alliance with the BJP in the state are entirely different issues. I did ask him that he must vote for the government in Parliament. Frankly, we are not taking his vote that seriously."
Asked about the party's stance if Soren were to seek Congress's support in future to form the government in the state, Rao said, "It is true that we did not want him as Chief Minister. There is not much to talk about it right now."
Soren's move comes at a time when he has failed to persuade any one of his party's 18 MLAs -- including his son Hemant and daughter-in-law Sita -- to quit an Assembly seat to help him win before June 30 to stay in power.
Also, on July 20, the apex court is slated to hear the kidnapping and murder case of his private secretary Shashi Nath Jha dating back to 1994. Jha's brother Vijaynath, daughter Preeti and friend and co-petitioner Mukesh Baba had appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to get them justice.
His allies suspect that Soren, who lost the Tamar bypoll only to quit as the CM leading to imposition of President's rule in Jharkhand on January 19 last year, may not contest polls and, instead, enter into a bargain with the UPA partners to instal son Hemant as CM.
Said Deepak Kumar, JD(U)'s district unit secretary: "Everybody knows Guruji (Soren) does not do anything without weighing its pros and cons."
The JMM in the state declined to comment but its senor leader Suraj Mandal sought to play it down: "As far as I know, he voted for the UPA by sheer mistake...he pressed the wrong button."
For BJP, Soren gave them the unkindest cut
New Delhi: With Mayawati's support and helped by the SP-RJD walkout, the UPA breezed through the trial of strength in the Lok Sabha today but what added insult to the BJP's injury was the fact that Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren, propped up by the NDA, voted for the UPA.
Having served as Chief Minister of Jharkhand for around four months now, Soren technically continues to be a member of Lok Sabha.
The BJP was incensed. "He (Soren) has clearly ditched us. Now we are going to review our stand to support the government led by him," said BJP's state unit spokesperson Sanjay Seth.
After having serious differences with Soren on ways to tackle Maoists, the CM's decision today could lead to eventual parting of ways of two uneasy allies in the state, said a senior BJP leader.
Party leaders were not willing to say much on record, though. Most of them said the party had "taken note of the development" and "some action would definitely be taken against Soren".
Soren, who quietly slipped out of Parliament after the vote, made vague statements on his decision. "Jo kiya, so kiya (whatever had to be done, was done)," he said.
Soren's act, in a way, became the highlight of an evening when the vote on the cut motion got reduced to an academic exercise after the BSP, SP and the RJD didn't join the Opposition.
A cut motion moved by CPI's Gurudas Dasgupta was defeated by a margin of 88 votes (201-289), while another cut motion moved by Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj was defeated by a 162-246 division.
Soren, next to Trinamool's Sudeep Bandopadhyay and DMK's TKS Elangovan, had earlier hit the red button when the first motion was put to vote implying he was opposing the BJP's motion.
BJP Deputy Leader Gopinath Munde walked up to him to check if something was amiss but Soren was again seen filling up the red slip, supporting the UPA.
JD (U) leader Sharad Yadav and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey asked Soren about his support to UPA and Dubey was then seen apprising senior leaders Advani, Sushma and Yashwant Sinha about Soren's vote.
A senior BJP leader, requesting anonymity, reflected the wider mood in the party, and said that most MPs "were uniformly incensed" by Soren's action and many had called for "withdrawal of party support" to the Soren-led government. Some BJP leaders felt Soren "may have cut a deal with the Congress, with a key role for his son Hemant Soren and Babulal Marandi in the state".
A visibly happy Hemant, however, refused to comment, when contacted by The Indian Express, at Parliament House premises.
BJP general secretary and former Jharkhand BJP chief Arjun Munda told The Indian Express that "the party would each a definitive decision in a day or two, even when they had taken the issue very seriously".
A BJP leader also claimed that Soren's action was a "result of CBI pressure on Soren". On Monday, however, the BJP Parliamentary Party spokesperson had said that Soren, as also another JMM MP, Kameshwar Baitha (who's in jail), "would vote along with the NDA and the non-Congress bloc" on cut motions.
The Congress sought to downplay Soren's vote maintaining that the JMM continued to be with the UPA at the Centre notwithstanding its alliance with the BJP in the state. Congress sources said the "party was still open to the idea of forming a Congress-JMM government in Jharkhand if, "at any point of time, Shibu gives up his claim for the CM's post".
AICC in-charge of Jharkhand K Keshava Rao told The Indian Express that he was "constantly in touch" with the JMM chief to "ensure" that he supported the UPA government when it came to cut motions.
"He (Soren) is with the UPA. His support to the government at the Centre and his alliance with the BJP in the state are entirely different issues. I did ask him that he must vote for the government in Parliament. Frankly, we are not taking his vote that seriously."
Asked about the party's stance if Soren were to seek Congress's support in future to form the government in the state, Rao said, "It is true that we did not want him as Chief Minister. There is not much to talk about it right now."
Soren's move comes at a time when he has failed to persuade any one of his party's 18 MLAs -- including his son Hemant and daughter-in-law Sita -- to quit an Assembly seat to help him win before June 30 to stay in power.
Also, on July 20, the apex court is slated to hear the kidnapping and murder case of his private secretary Shashi Nath Jha dating back to 1994. Jha's brother Vijaynath, daughter Preeti and friend and co-petitioner Mukesh Baba had appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to get them justice.
His allies suspect that Soren, who lost the Tamar bypoll only to quit as the CM leading to imposition of President's rule in Jharkhand on January 19 last year, may not contest polls and, instead, enter into a bargain with the UPA partners to instal son Hemant as CM.
Said Deepak Kumar, JD(U)'s district unit secretary: "Everybody knows Guruji (Soren) does not do anything without weighing its pros and cons."
The JMM in the state declined to comment but its senor leader Suraj Mandal sought to play it down: "As far as I know, he voted for the UPA by sheer mistake...he pressed the wrong button."
Source: The Indian Express
K.Venugopal
#2
Wednesday, 28 April 2010 14:21:35
The BJP should not in the first place have supported Shibu Soren for the CM's post. When will the BJP understand that more important than tasting power in bits and pieces and in second-fiddle positions would be to build up credibility? In Karnataka, the BJP would one day pay a heavy price for keeping the company of the notorious blackmailers the Reddy brothers.
http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3863396&page=0
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