Will not let Congress benefit from Jharkhand crisis: Gadkari

PANAJI - The Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) will take all steps to ensure that the Congress does not benefit from the political impasse in Jharkhand, party president Nitin Gadkari said Thursday.

“We will ensure that the Congress does not benefit from the Jharkhand situation by breaking smaller parties with muscle power,” Gadkari said.

Addressing a press conference here, Gadkari, who is on a two-day visit to Goa, said he would visit Jharkhand Friday to meet all stake-holders in order to resolve the crisis.

“I will be going to Jharkhand tomorrow and will meet those who are related with the issue. Wait and watch.”

Jharkhand plunged into the current political crisis after Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Shibu Soren voted in favour of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government on a cut motion moved in the Lok Sabha by the BJP April 27.

A day after the cut motion, the BJP’s parliamentary board decided to withdraw the party’s support to the Soren-led Jharkhand government. The BJP later April 30 put its decision to withdraw support on hold and asked Soren to quit.

The BJP leadership has also asked Soren to create an environment conducive to transfer of power at the earliest. Soren has also been told to furnish letters of support in favour of BJP from all 18 JMM legislators.