Hemants conditions stump BJP,talks to continue today

With the BJP firm on an unqualified letter of support by the JMM Legislature Party to the party to enable a new coalition government...

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With the BJP firm on an unqualified letter of support by the JMM Legislature Party to the party to enable a new coalition government to be sworn in,the JMM,in a shift of stance on Friday,came up with a two-point charter which the BJP felt went against the spirit of the letter written by Hemant Soren to party president Nitin Gadkari asking the BJP to lead a new government in the state.

For one,the JMM suggested during talks with BJP,a rotation formula,implying that the BJP and JMM candidates occupy the chief ministerial chair on a rotational basis as equal partners in the state,with the BJP candidate leading the coalition after Shibu Soren steps down formula entails 28 months each for the BJP and the JMM; four-and-a-half years of the tenure of Soren government are left for the Jharkhand Assembly. Secondly,the JMM said the BJP should preferably nominate a tribal candidate as its CM candidate.

While no one was willing to be quoted,BJP leaders privy to discussions asserted that the JMMs new charter went against the spirit of the letter written by Hemant Soren to Gadkari.

A JMM delegation held second round of talks with the BJP brass after a JMM contingent landed in the Capital on Thursday and held their first round of talks with the BJP leadership,which continued till early Friday.

Gadkari,his predecessor Rajnath Singh,party general secretary Ananth Kumar,general secretary organisation Ram Lal and Jharkhand deputy CM Raghubar Das represented the BJP,while the JMM side was represented by Hemant Soren,Hemlal Murmu,Shahshank Shekhar,in addition to AJSUs Sudesh Mahto. Jharkhand CM Shibu Soren was present at Thursdays meeting. For Fridays meeting,another BJP functionary Saudan Singh also joined in.

Both sides said the meeting would continue on Saturday and no one was hazard a guess on the final outcome of the proposed talks,although the shift in the JMM stance was met with surprise in the BJP.

We are discussing government formation on the basis of the letter written by Hemant Soren pledging support to a BJP-led government. Our leaders who are in talks with JMM were given clear instructions that if any other demands are made we will not agree. We are not dying to form a government in Jharkhand, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said,on Friday.