The Hindu : National : Congress may be a reluctant partner

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Friday, Sep 15, 2006
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Congress may be a reluctant partner

Special Correspondent

Party writes to Governor supporting Khoda

NEW DELHI : The Congress on Thursday preferred to be a reluctant partner in the emerging situation in Jharkhand and was unlikely to be part of the new Government, party sources said here.

The sources said that party president Sonia Gandhi refused to name the leader of the new arrangement even though the allies of the United Progressive Alliance — the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and the Rashtriya Janata Dal — authorised her to do so.

Instead, she preferred that the legislators belonging to the alliance elect a new leader.

Officially, the Congress wrote to the Jharkhand Governor stating that the Congress Legislature Party would extend support to a non-National Democratic Alliance Government.There were reports that the Congress may prefer to extend outside support to the new Government and, at best, consider taking the Speaker's post at a later date. Party sources said that at present there was no discussion on the issue but could consider at an appropriate time.

For early polls: Karat

Kolkata Special Correspondent reports:

The real solution to the political instability in Jharkhand is early Assembly elections there, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Prakash Karat, said here on Thursday. Asked to comment on the resignation of Arjun Munda as Chief Minister, Mr. Karat said that it was a good thing that a "government of defectors" had gone.

He was speaking after an interaction with representatives of the business community at a meeting organised by the Eastern Regional Council of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

Biman Bose, Secretary of the CPI (M)'s State Committee in West Bengal, said that given the political developments in Jharkhand it appeared that "ultimately the State will have to go in for mid-term polls."

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