JOIN USCongress breaks alliance with JMM in Jharkhand
The Congress on Friday broke its alliance with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) in Jharkhand, leading to speculations that the party may join hands with the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) while sources said it was in talks with the Janata Dal (United) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) to form a secular alliance.
According to sources, the decision of breaking alliance was taken after deliberations with the RJD and JD(U) leaders. Party general secretary B K Hariprasad had a meeting with JD(U) Chief Sharad Yadav this week to discuss the issue with him. He also met RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. Hariprasad left for Ranchi on Friday to consult local leaders.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren spent the last two days in Delhi where he frantically tried to make Congress agree to continue the alliance. However, he said, the grand old party made unrealistic demands.
Soren has been quoted by agencies as saying that the Congress wanted to contest even those seats currently held by the JMM. He wondered how a party could leave seats of its sitting MLAs.
Though the Congress has taken a public position that the alliance has been broken following the failure of talks on seat sharing, insiders said the party does not want to share the anti-incumbency wave against the state government led by JMM.
It had to face a humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha elections in which the party drew a blank while securing only 13 per cent of votes. The BJP won 12 of 14 seats and JMM bagged two. According to sources, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had given her nod to the decision of breaking the alliance.
The strong contender for replacing JMM in the proposed anti-BJP alliance, the JVM led by former chief minister Babulal Marandi is in talks with the Congress. Its leaders have met RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav.
The JD(U) is also supporting the entry of JVM into the proposed grand alliance against the BJP and suggested the Congress to make induct the Left.
“We should make every effort to stop split of anti-BJP votes. The Left parties should be included in the alliance,” a senior JD(U) functionary told Deccan Herald. The party is insisting to include at least CPI in the alliance which has some base in the state.