VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, May 31: Leaders and workers of the Jharkhand Congress turned red out of rage when their state in-charge Avinash Pande told the media that the grasses are really green in the Congress in Jharkhand and MLAs are not upset over the JMM fielding its candidate for the Rajya Sabha election.
“No MLA expressed any anger. We mainly discussed the organizational matters like the membership drive besides issues related to their constituency. They also gave their suggestion over the Rajya Sabha election which I noted. The Congress doesn’t have the required number for the Rajya Sabha seat,” Pande said on Tuesday while emerging from the marathon one-to-one close-door meeting with MLAs.
He is learned to have left to meet Chief Minister Hemant Soren along with state president Rajesh Thakur and the leader of legislative party Alamgir Alam.
But his statement raised a storm in the party leaving a bad taste in the mouth of state leaders. “Hemant Soren has insulted Sonia Gandhi; he has hurt our self-respect but the state in charge is so indifferent. Let the right time come and we will give him a demo of our anger. In front of him and even publicly we minced no words in censoring Hemant Soren and his attitude. Disgusting that he can’t even say yes my MLAs are angry,” said an MLA.
Taking a dig at Pande, the MLAs said that when Pande took charge of the state unit he declared that he is highly unsatisfied with the government and he can’t compromise against the interest of Congress.
“His posturing has just evaporated. He is the only man in Congress satisfied and happy with the government. Leave we bite the government we even can’t hiss,” said the MLAs.
Hemant Soren unilaterally announced that Mahua Majhi will be the Rajya Sabha candidate. Jharkhand Congress leaders expected that Hemant Soren will leave this seat for Congress at the request of Sonia Gandhi. The state president had even allegorically tweeted “Congress aa rahi hai, the Congress is coming.”
Another MLA said that all MLAs suggested that the party should extend support to the Hemant Soren government from the outside. “I think the central leadership doesn’t want to lose a state. But we are paying a heavy price to stay in the government. If the central leadership feels shy to acknowledge our anger then I have nothing to say,” said another MLA.
Notably, Pande is set to preside over a two days workshop of party leaders and workers scheduled from tomorrow at the Sangam Garden.
“Why this pretension? We don’t need any workshop to surrender our party to the feet of the JMM and the chief minister Hemant Soren,” said a former state president.
