JMM-Congress coalition "standing strong", says Cong leader Banna Gupta amid Jharkhand crisis

Ranchi: As reports emerged that Governor of Jharkhand Ramesh Bais is likely to send his recommendation to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to disqualify Chief Minister Hemant Soren as an MLA, Congress leader and Jharkhand Health Minister Banna Gupta on Friday said that the JMM-Congress coalition is "standing strong".
Banna Gupta said, "Our coalition is standing strong. We will meet again in the evening today." He said this after Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren's meeting of the ruling party's ministers and the legislature party at his residence in Ranchi.
Earlier today he said, "All is well. Our government is in majority. We will follow whatever our Congress President Sonia Gandhi will say."
As per sources, the Governor of Jharkhand is likely to send his recommendation, tomorrow, to ECI to disqualify Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren as an MLA.
Earlier in the day, Soren had called a meeting of the MLAs of UPA coalition at his residence in Ranchi.
State Congress President Rajesh Thakur confirmed the details and said that the meeting came amid the recent political developments in the state.
Leaders including Thakur, Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Alamgir Alam, all four ministers from Congress quota in the Jharkhand government and a few MLAs were present at the meeting.
The meeting came a day after CM Soren denied receiving any communication from the ECI or Governor Ramesh Bais on the statements about the poll body "recommending his disqualification as an MLA."
The Chief Minister's office released a statement on Thursday after several media reports speculated that the ECI has sent a report to the governor about Soren's disqualification.
"The Chief Minister is apprised of several media reports about ECI sending a report to Honorable Governor -Jharkhand 'apparently recommending his disqualification as an MLA'. No communication in this regard has been received by CMO from either ECI or Governor," read the statement.
Jharkhand Congress working president Bandhu Tirkey on Friday said that the top party leadership has instructed him to support whatever decision its alliance partner JMM takes amid Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren's call for disqualification as an MLA.
"Whatever decision JMM takes, as the major party of the alliance, Congress will support it. The top leadership of Congress has instructed us for the same," said Bandhu Tirkey.
He further alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) always insult the mandate and tried to unstable the JMM-Congress coalition government in Jharkhand.
"Government runs on majority and we have enough majority. BJP always insult the mandate and try to unstable the government," claimed Tirkey.
The principal opposition party in Jharkhand is BJP with 25 MLAs. Soren has alleged that the EC report was "drafted" by the BJP to topple the Jharkhand government.
"It apparently seems that BJP leaders including a BJP MP and his puppet journalists have themselves drafted the ECI report, which is otherwise a sealed cover report. This blatant misuse of constitutional authorities and public agencies and its complete takeover by BJP HQ in Deendayal Upadhyay Marg in this shameful manner is unseen in Indian Democracy," added the statement.
The trail of events gained pace after Nishikant Dubey, BJP Member of Parliament from Godda, Jharkhand, tweeted that the letter from the ECI has reached the Raj Bhavan.
The hearing in the Hemant Soren mine leasing case, in which the BJP has accused him of extending himself a mining lease and sought his disqualification as an MLA, was concluded in the ECI on Monday. (ANI)