“Family Is United”: Basant Soren Over 'Dissatisfied' Congress MLAs

Ranchi:

Amid speculation of a possible rift between Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress over the new cabinet, former Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s brother and party leader Basant Soren on Saturday said that Congress MLAs had some doubts that has been removed.

“No one is upset. They (Congress MLAs) had some doubts but all of that has been removed. Our family is united. Everyone is satisfied now. I am going to Delhi,” he said.

As eight ministers took oath in the new Champai Soren cabinet in Jharkhand on Saturday, some Congress MLAs have expressed discontent with the expansion that allegedly excluded new faces which was their demand.

Congress MLA Dipika Pandey Singh claimed that they presented their thoughts before the cabinet expansion happened.

“We demanded that if the new government was being formed and the cabinet was being reshuffled, then new faces should have been given a chance,” Singh said while speaking to ANI.

Congress MLA Anup Singh said that the MLAs have intimated the Pradesh Congress Committee president about their concern and their demand remains the same.

“We are 12 people in total. We have shared our concern with our PCC president through a letter. Our demand is the same as before,” Anup Singh said.

“Attending the oath ceremony does not mean that we have forgotten our demands. We are only trying to let our party know about our concerns,” he added.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren on Friday allotted portfolios to ministers, by keeping the departments like home and personnel for himself.

Earlier on February 2, Champai Soren was sworn in as chief minister of the state and on February 5, the coalition government won the floor test with a 47:29 majority.

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha with 29 seats, and its ally Congress with 17 were confident of easily sailing through the trust vote.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)