A delegation of the ruling UPA government in Jharkhand on Thursday met governor Ramesh Bais and requested him to clear the air on the Election Commission's opinion (if any) on the disqualification of chief minister Hemant Soren from the state Assembly.
The delegation comprised Lok Sabha MPs Geeta Koda (Congress) and Vijay Hansda (JMM), Rajya Sabha MPs Dhiraj Sahu (Congress) and Mahua Majhi (JMM), Congress leader and former MLA Bandhu Tirkey, JMM central secretaries Supriyo Bhattacharya and Vinod Pandey, and RJD leader Binod Bhokta handed over a letter to the governor.
The three-page letter requested the governor to “clear the air which will not only put at rest the confusion but also end efforts to destabilise the democratically elected government by illicit means.”The letter also requested the governor “to declare the opinion received (if any) from the Election Commission forthwith.
Prompt action on your excellency’s part will serve the cause of democracy and further delay will be against the constitutional duties and values which your excellency’s august office is expected to uphold,”Later in the evening, the governor’s public relation officer issued a statement about the meeting with the UPA delegation and the governor assuring the delegation to take necessary action soon.
The letter submitted by the UPA delegation informed that since August 25 there have been reports in local and national media citing sources “from your excellency’s office that an opinion under Article 192 of the Constitution of India has been received from the Election Commission to disqualify Hemant Soren, MLA from Barhait constituency and presently the chief minister of the state of Jharkhand, under Article 192 (1) of the Constitution of India.”The letter further informed that “all the news items are reporting that a decision under Article 192 (1) of the Constitution of India by the Honourable Governor of Jharkhand disqualifying Hemant Soren ji under the Representation of People Act 1951, is likely to be issued and communicated very soon.”The letter claimed that such news was creating an atmosphere of political uncertainty and encouraging rumours and further claimed that all these news items are being reported as being leaked from the governor’s office.“The purported selected leaks from Your Excellency's office are creating a state of chaos, confusion and uncertainty… encouraging political brinkmanship to destabilise the democratically elected Government headed by Hemant Soren ji.”
The letter also alleges that although the governor is yet to declare the opinion of the Election Commission which is given in confidence, the BJP the largest opposition party in the state “has made public the opinion and is demanding resignation of the chief minister, mid-term polls etc.
The letter clarified that disqualification of the chief minister would not have any effect on the government as the JMM-Congress-RJD-Independent coalition still enjoys an overwhelming majority in the state legislative Assembly.
“The governor said that a letter has come from the Election Commission, so at least we know that a letter has come. The governor said that his office is studying some aspects of the letter and would make the situation clear soon,” said Singhbhum MP in Lok Sabha Geeta Koda speaking to The Telegraph after the meeting with the governor.The alliance, comprising the JMM, Congress and RJD, has 49 MLAs in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly and is supported from outside by a lone CPIML (L) legislator Vinod Singh.The delegation also submitted a memorandum signed by over 30 MLAs of Jharkhand to the governor requesting to clear the air on the disqualification issue.
