MLAs Bandhu Tirkey and Pradeep Yadav on Monday met AICC general secretary KC Venugopal as well as state Congress in-charge RPN Singh in Delhi stating that they are concerned over Jharkhand assembly speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto has been keeping their anti-defection case on hold from the past many months.
During the brief meeting they also discussed affairs of the party and the government in Jharkhand.
Sources said that Tirkey and Yadav have sought appointment from Rahul Gandhi so that Gandhi instructs state leadership to prod Assembly Speaker for the early decision in their case adding that their case must be settled once for all.
They had won election as the JVM nominee. They joined the Congress after JVM chief and MLA Babulal Marandi merged the party in the BJP in February last year. But they were opposed to the merger of the JVM in the BJP. They were expelled from the party one by one hence Marandi claimed as the lone MLA hence he has rightfully merged the JVM in the BJP. Yadav and Tirkey claimed that they represented the original JVM and they too merged the party in the Congress. As the BJP elected Marandi as leader of the opposition the assembly speaker said that legality of the split and merger of the JVM in the BJP will have to be examined. The speaker also issued notices to Yadav and Tirkey.
Technically they are still treated as independent MLA as their matter is pending before the court of assembly speaker.
They told central leadership that as the decision of their case is pending they are unable to shoulder any organizational responsibility of the party and their supporters are unhappy over state and central leadership not intervening in this matter.