Mumbai:
An exchange of bouquets, a show of hands and the pose for the cameras: A photo-op or a stamp of approval? Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Shibu Soren's urge to become the next chief minister of Jharkhand brought him all the way to Mumbai to meet BJP's national president Nitin Gadkari.
And the gesture seems to have paid off. The BJP president told mediapersons, "We will work for a stable and clean government in Jharkhand. The BJP will firmly stand by Shibu Soren."
Guruji was quick to reciprocate: "We are a rich state of poor people. We will work for a stable government." Soren who has had 2 previous stints as chief minister, the first for 9 days followed by another brief tenure of 4 months, is not new to criticism or controversies. So his Mumbai dash seemed more of a seal-the-deal agenda with his newest ally.
Gadkari perhaps a little more direct ''I think that in politics certain decisions have to be made keeping the stability and the interest of the state in mind.''
But the JMM-BJP alliance comes at a time when voices within the BJP have criticized the party's alliance with Shibu Soren.
Soren wants to show the world the alliance is firm despite dissenting voices. It's well-known that the BJP, has in the past, criticised Soren for the many cases of crime and corruption against him.
This time, though, the criticism is of a different nature: Leaders like Rajiv Pratap Rudy say, ''The BJP should not do it because it does not have the mandate. This will hamper the progress of the party.'' Rudy himself clarified that his comments made at an internal party meeting reflected his personal opinions. But this is certainly not the last one will hear on the newly formed JMM-BJP alliance.
The election results in Jharkhand threw up a fractured mandate. No party could secure a clear majority. The new Jharkhand Assembly is already under fire as more than 2/3rd MLAs have criminal cases against them. Now as two divergent political parties forge the leading alliance, it seems only natural that accusations of political convenience have taken over.
Table of Jharkhand election results:
Congress+ 23
BJP+ 20
JMM 18
RJD 6
Others 14
Total 81
And the gesture seems to have paid off. The BJP president told mediapersons, "We will work for a stable and clean government in Jharkhand. The BJP will firmly stand by Shibu Soren."
Guruji was quick to reciprocate: "We are a rich state of poor people. We will work for a stable government." Soren who has had 2 previous stints as chief minister, the first for 9 days followed by another brief tenure of 4 months, is not new to criticism or controversies. So his Mumbai dash seemed more of a seal-the-deal agenda with his newest ally.
Gadkari perhaps a little more direct ''I think that in politics certain decisions have to be made keeping the stability and the interest of the state in mind.''
But the JMM-BJP alliance comes at a time when voices within the BJP have criticized the party's alliance with Shibu Soren.
Soren wants to show the world the alliance is firm despite dissenting voices. It's well-known that the BJP, has in the past, criticised Soren for the many cases of crime and corruption against him.
This time, though, the criticism is of a different nature: Leaders like Rajiv Pratap Rudy say, ''The BJP should not do it because it does not have the mandate. This will hamper the progress of the party.'' Rudy himself clarified that his comments made at an internal party meeting reflected his personal opinions. But this is certainly not the last one will hear on the newly formed JMM-BJP alliance.
The election results in Jharkhand threw up a fractured mandate. No party could secure a clear majority. The new Jharkhand Assembly is already under fire as more than 2/3rd MLAs have criminal cases against them. Now as two divergent political parties forge the leading alliance, it seems only natural that accusations of political convenience have taken over.
Table of Jharkhand election results:
Congress+ 23
BJP+ 20
JMM 18
RJD 6
Others 14
Total 81
