'Dignity hurt, won't sit silently': Disgruntled JMM legislator on exclusion from cabinet

Ranchi: Disgruntled JMM legislator Baidyanath Ram on Sunday said his exclusion from the cabinet of Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren "at the last moment" has "hurt his dignity" and he will "not sit silently".

Ram, the Latehar MLA, said the decision to exclude him from the cabinet has also "hurt the sentiments" of his SC community, who have called a meeting at his residence in the afternoon to decide the future course of action.

"My dignity was hurt. I will not sit silently," Ram told PTI.

As many as eight legislators including JMM supremo Shibu Soren's youngest son Basant Soren have taken oath as ministers in the Champai Soren cabinet.

Ram's name was allegedly dropped from the list at the last minute.

"The decision has also hurt the sentiments of my community. They want a solution. So, they have called a meeting with me at my Ranchi residence in the afternoon to decide on the future course of political action," Ram said.

The legislator claimed that the CM has sought two days' time from him for a decision on the ministerial berth.

"The CM is in Delhi. I hope he brings some positive response when he returns to Ranchi. Otherwise, I will be free to take my decision," he said.

The JMM-led alliance in the state has 47 MLAs (JMM-29, Congress-17 and one RJD) in the 81-member assembly.

The alliance government is in for double challenges after the swearing-in ceremony of the ministers.

Eight of the 12 disgruntled MLAs reached Delhi on Saturday evening to lodge their protest before the party high command over the induction of four party MLAs in the Champai Soren government.

Unhappy with the Congress' decision to again give ministerial berths to Alamgir Alam, Rameshwar Oraon, Banna Gupta and Badal Patralekh, the legislators went into a huddle at a Ranchi hotel on Saturday, where JMM's new minister Basant Soren, the youngest son of party supremo Shibu Soren, reached to persuade them to change their decision.

As many as 12 MLAs of the grand old party have threatened to boycott the upcoming state assembly session from February 23 if the ministers from the party were not replaced with new faces.