Marandi prays as 5 ‘unhappy’ ministers rush to Puri

Much is being read here into the sudden and collective surge of devotion among five Cabinet members of the Babulal Marandi government who to...

Much is being read here into the sudden and collective surge of devotion among five Cabinet members of the Babulal Marandi government who together left for the holy town of Puri from here yesterday. While they claim they mean to pray to Lord Jagannath to free Jharkhand of corruption, what must be weighing on the Chief Minister’s mind is that all five ministers bear a grudge against him.

Marandi himself returned to Ranchi from Delhi only this afternoon. His government has a wafer-thin majority, with 44 MLAs in a House of 82. To make it worse for him, the budget session is scheduled to begin later this month.

The five ministers now in Puri are Energy Minister Lal Chand Mahato (JD-U), Land Revenue Minister Madhu Singh (Samata), Sports Minister Jaleshwar Mahato, Excise Minister Ramesh Singh Munda and Urban Development Minister Baccha Singh.

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The Energy Minister has been urging Marandi to sack State Electricity Board Chairman Rajib Ranjan. Along with Madhu Singh, Munda and Baccha Singh, Lal Chand has also been refusing to give up his portfolio to facilitate a reshuffle.

Asked if they were going to topple the government, Lal Chand replied in the negative. Talking to The Indian Express from Puri, he said: ‘‘We have just come here to offer puja to Jagannath. We are also praying for a prosperous corruption-free Jharkhand.’’

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