Law Kumar Mishra
Ranchi, September 5
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday won the trust votes for his 20-month-old government in the Legislative Assembly amid a threat of disqualification after reportedly being indicted in an office of profit case.
The Chief Minister himself tabled a confidence motion in the Jharkhand Assembly. He claimed that the BJP was attempting to poach UPA MLAs and uproot his government that prompted him to take the step.
Soren bagged 48 votes, while the BJP walked out during the House proceedings after the debate that continues for over 150 minutes.
The Chief Minister lashed out at the BJP for creating uncertainty in the state. “The opposition says what was the need to have the vote of trust but we want to prove our strength in the House. Our best effort is to convince the 3.25 crore people of the state but cannot do much about your (opposition) wishes,” Soren said.
He alleged that the BJP was trying to poach their MLAs including the three Congress MLAs arrested in Bengal. It forced them to shift maximum UPA legislators to Raipur in Chhattisgarh. The MLAs had returned to Ranchi yesterday evening as the state government convened a special assembly session on Monday.
Describing the BJP as ” Jamat “( party) of traders and businessmen, Hemant said he had supported the candidature of a tribal leader for the election of President, still BJP was engaged in moving a tribal like him out of power. He regretted the Union Government was destabilizing the non-BJP governments in different states,
Soren is heading a coalition government in which Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal are allies.
Many opposition legislators including former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi, Pradeep Yadav, Sudesh Mahato and Saryu Roy spoke on the situation of law and order in the state, loss of faith among legislators in the ruling alliance and the need for holding a vote of trust.
Nilkanth Singh Munda of BJP said the confidence motion was unwarranted as neither opposition nor Governor pressed for the trust motion.
