Soren does a U-turn,says not in a hurry to resign

Under the law,Soren,an MP,is required to become an MLA within six months from taking oath as CM on December 30. Since there is no seat vacant for him to contest the Assembly polls,the Election Commission cannot hold a bypoll and announce its result before his six-month deadline ends on June 30.

Apparently aware that he can continue as CM till June 30,Soren made it clear that he was not bothered about the announcement he had made post-deal on May 18. “I am not in hurry. I will not resign unless it was necessary,” said Soren.

Soren is known for taking such turns. As Union coal minister,he had fled from the national capital and declined to resign after a subordinate court served a warrant of arrest on him in the Chirrudih massacre case in 2004. He put in his papers only after the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh intervened. After he lost the Tamar bypoll in 2008,he did not resign until he was compelled to do so by the Congress high command.

This time,Soren has a daunting task at hand as he has to ensure that his son Hemant becomes Deputy Chief Minister in the BJP-JMM coalition government,and there is least resentment in the party. Soon after the power deal was struck between the JMM and BJP,four party dissident MLAs claiming to be loyal to Soren — Lobin Hembrom,Nalin Soren,Simon Marandi and Polus Surin — had protested.

“Guruji is a lion of Jharkhand. He had never said he would resign on May 25. The vested interests are determi-ned to oust him,” said Lobin.

However,JMM vice-president Hemlal Murmu said: “We will try to see that Guruji does not back out from his commitment to put in his papers by May 25.”

The opposition Congress and its ally Jharkhand Vikas Morcha led by Babulal Marandi,who had filed a PIL questioning Soren’s move to cling to power without honouring the Constitution’s mandate to become an MLA,are up in arms. “We will hit the street if Soren decides to cling to power any longer,” said Pradeep Yadav,a JVM MLA.

SC refuses Marandi plea

New Delhi: A Supreme Court Bench on Thursday refused Jharkhand Vikas Morcha chief Babulal Marandi’s appeal for an urgent hearing on his petition questioning the legality of JMM chief Shibu Soren occupying the Chief Minister’s chair without being elected to the state Assembly.

A Bench of Justices G S Singhvi and C K Prasad refusing Marandi an early hearing,said his matter would be heard in normal course. Marandi,who was the first chief minister of Jharkhand,has accused Soren of misusing the special provision under Article 164 (4) of the Constitution which enables an unelected person to become chief minister subject to the condition that he would get elected to the Assembly within six months time.

Marandi’s petition alleged that Soren should have become the member of the House within 180 days. ENS