JVM chief Babulal Marandi on Thursday clarified he was not in talks with the Congress to forge a pre-poll alliance, as they had decided to go it alone in the forthcoming parliamentary and Assembly elections.
Marandi also emphasised he had not met Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in this regard and the “revelation” by State Congress chief Pradeep Balmuchu a couple of days ago was baseless.
“I don’t know why he made such a statement. He is perhaps frustrated with the Congress leadership’s lukewarm approach to formation of the Government with the JMM and might be blaming me for spoiling his gameplan,” Marandi told The Pioneer.
“I have never met Rahul, Of course, I have met Sonia Gandhi once or twice in the past,” he maintained.
Balmuchu had criticised Marandi for spitting fire against President’s Rule in Jharkhand. “It shows his double face. He meets Rahulji in Delhi and criticises the Congress in Ranchi,” Balmuchu had said.
The former CM also said he was least worried if the Congress forges alliance with JMM. “All we want is that the Centre hold Assembly elections as early possible and should not rule by proxy. It would be icing on the cake for JVM if Assembly and lok Sabha elections are separate,” he added.
JVM had fought the 2009 Assembly elections with the Congress and bagged 11 seats, It severed ties in April last year after relations soured during the Rajya Sabha elections.
State Congress leaders, including Balmuchu and Subodh Kant Sahay, are not in favour of going with Marandi, whom they find difficult to deal with. On the other hand, they can manage the JMM and manoeuver the regional party to their advantage. “We have long time understanding with Shibu Soren, who have helped the Central Government on several crucial issues,” said a senior Congress leader.
“But we are not ruling out reuniting with JVM with whom it fought the last Assembly elections,” said another leader who is among the frontrunners for the party’s State unit president’s post.
JMM is struggling to partner with Congress with the bait that they will fight elections together if it forms the Government. The Congress had tied up with JMM in 2005 too.
Ironically, the next scene of the Congress in Jharkhand’s political theatre — after it was successful in creating a separation between BJP and JMM — is perplexing the party’s State leaders and those from the Opposition alike.
A Congress leader said indecision of the leadership has put the party cadre in a dilemma, when the party can’t contest a general election on its own. In most places, the organisation functions only on paper. “While JVM, AJSU and BJP have gone into election mode, we are keeping our fingers crossed,” admitted a senior Congress leader.
“We will be in the driver’s seat only when we have consolidated our position or else we will be forced to ride piggyback with a partner,” he added. “The leadership should not linger with President’s Rule nor form Government as it would face the anti-incumbency factor when it faces the elections,” he opined.