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State politics : BJP one up in Jharkhand |
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Arjun Munda wins Confidence Vote
The BJP-led Arjun Munda government in Jharkhand has won a vote of confidence in the state Assembly but questions remain over how stable it would be. Assembly Speaker Inder Singh Namdhari, who was earlier elected by voice vote, declared that the Munda Government had established the support of 40 in the 81 member Assembly. But his ruling came in the midst of pandemonium on issues of procedure and the election of the Speaker himself.
After the head-count, the Speaker said that the support of 40 legislators for the motion of confidence had been established. On the basis of the attendance register, Namdhari said that the opposition had the support of only 37 MLAs. Three MLAs, Kamlesh Singh of the Nationalist Congress Party, NCP, independent member, Jopba Majhi and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha member, Shukh Ram Orao were absent when the motion of confidence in the three day old NDA-led government was taken up in the house on Tuesday, March 15.
Speaking to reporters later, Namdhari claimed that not only the NDA is superior to the United Progressive Alliance, UPA in numbers but it also has a clear majority in the House. His contention was that along with him, the NDA has the support of 41 MLAs in the 81 member Assembly, past the half way mark. Chief Minister Arjun Munda said the NDA support would go up further in the Assembly with the nomination of an Anglo-Indian member.
On the other hand, the UPA condemned the entire process of the vote of confidence as unconstitutional and undemocratic. Opposition leaders including former Dy. Chief Minister Stephen Marandi and UPA’s candidate for Speaker, Annapoorna Devi claimed that all their 39 MLAs were present in the Assembly. A UPA delegation led by Stephen Marandi later met Governor Syed Sibtey Razi seeking his intervention to re-establish democratic norms in the conduct of the Assembly and cancellation of, what it called, the fraudulent trust vote obtained by the Arjun Munda Government. Opposition UPA members said that they would challenge in a court of law, what they called, the unconstitutional process by which the Speaker was elected and the confidence vote was won.
Observers say that the stability of the Arjun Munda Government remains in doubt. He would have to keep all his supporters happy, while his cabinet can have only 12 ministers. Out of these, 5 independents, who played a crucial role in establishing his majority, have already been made ministers. Now, he has to keep his supporters in the JD(U) and the smaller parties as well as members of his own BJP pacified with the remaining six ministerial posts. The JMM and other constituents of the UPA in the state fishing in troubled waters cannot be ruled out.
UPA alleges large scale horse-trading
In a vain attempt which can best be described as a face-saving exercise, a UPA delegation from Jharkhand headed by former Chief Minister Shibu Soren met President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last week and demanded dismissal of the Arjun Munda government in the state. They wanted a CBI inquiry into the large scale ‘horse-trading’ of legislators and misuse of state machinery by the new government in the state. Talking to reporters after meeting the Prime Minister, Shibu Soren said the NDA leaders deliberately misrepresented the facts about the situation in the state. On whether he would approach the courts to seek justice, the JMM chief said, he will definitely do so.
Shibu Soren may re-enter Manmohan Cabinet
With Shibu Soren meeting the Prime Minister, there is speculation over his re-entry into the Union Cabinet. He held the Coal portfolio in the Manmohan Singh government before resigning to head the short-lived JMM-Congress coalition in Jharkhand. Asked about the possibility of his return to the Union Cabinet, Shibu Soren said, he would consider the option.
Government moves to pacify Lok Sabha Speaker
The Prime Minister called on Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Thursday, March 16 to remove the impression that the government had distanced itself from his suggestion for a Presidential Reference on the relations between the Legislature and the Judiciary. At the breakfast meeting, Manmohan Singh is reported to have conveyed to the Speaker that there was misinformation that the government does not agree with the Speaker’s stand on the Presidential Reference. Leader of the Lok Sabha Pranab Mukherjee and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad accompanied the Prime Minister during his meeting with the Lok Sabha Speaker.
The Prime Minister’s initiative came after television networks quoted the Lok Sabha Speaker as saying on Tuesday, March 15 that he was not bothered about what the government wanted to do on the Presidential Reference. There was no reference at the breakfast meeting to the conference of Speakers of state legislatures called by Somnath Chatterjee on Sunday, March 20. At the Congress party briefing, the party spokesperson said that there is no question of the party offering any suggestion to the Lok Sabha Speaker on whether or not to hold the conference. Spokesperson Anand Sharma said, ‘The Speaker is the head of the legislature and it is his prerogative to convene a meeting of Presiding Officers’.
Haryana Ministry : Tough task before the Chief Minister
In Haryana, where a Congress government headed by Bhupinder Singh Hooda was installed early this month amidst reports of infighting amongst the chief-ministerial aspirants, particularly Bhajan Lal, the Chief Minister is facing the tough task of satisfying all the claimants for plum portfolios in his Ministry. Former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal’s son Chander Mohan has been designated as Dy. Chief Minister and given the Food and Supplies department. It may be recalled that Bhajan Lal was upset at his being bypassed for the Chief Minister’s post by Hooda. Another heavy weight in the ministry, Birender Singh has been given charge of the Finance Ministry to keep him happy.
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