New Delhi: Opposition parties led by the Congress on Friday walked out from the Rajya Sabha over the Jharkhand governor not making interim arrangements for governance in the state after JMM leader Hemant Soren resigned as chief minister.
Leader of the Opposition in the House and Congress president Mallikharjun Kharge drew parallels with the happenings in neighbouring Bihar just a week back when Nitish Kumar had resigned as chief minister, his resignation being immediately accepted, he being asked to continue till a new government was formed and again being sworn-in as the chief minister, all in a matter of 12 hours.
But in Jharkhand, when Soren resigned on Wednesday, no interim arrangement was made, he said.
After Soren’s resignation, the name of his successor with signatures of 43 supporting MLAs in a 81-member assembly was given, Kharge said and added that four other MLAs, who were supporting such a transfer, were outside the state and could not give their signatures.
“He (Governor C P Radhakrishnan) did not make any arrangement (after Soren resigned),” he said.
The Constitution provides for a government to be in place in the event of a resignation of a chief minister and the governor makes interim arrangements of allowing the resigning chief minister or some other person to continue till alternative arrangements are made, Kharge said.
The governor calls on the party showing support of majority MLAs to form government and seeks a vote of confidence, he said.
The Congress leader said after a wait of nearly 20 hours, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s (JMM) newly elected leader Champai Soren got an invite to meet the governor but despite the letters of support, he was not invited to form government. It is only today (on Friday) that the new chief minister is taking oath, he said.
