J'khand BJP looks at national leadership for guidance

The Jharkhand unit of Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday night decided to consult its national leadership for the next course of action following the decision of by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha to withdraw support to Arjun Munda-led govenment in the state pushing it to a minority.

Soon after JMM's decision, BJP state core committee met in Ranchi on Monday evening to take stock of the situation.

Emerging from the meeting, senior BJP leader P N Singh told reporters at BJP's state headquarters in Ranchi that "the meeting has decided to establish contact with the party's central leadership for guidance. Another meeting of the core committee will take place at 10.30 am tomorrow".

BJP's state unit spokesman Pradip Sinha said "the chief minister narrated everything from his satisfactory reply to JMM's list of demands to other things."

He said that "on the suggestion of party's national general secretary Dharmendra Pradhan, the party decided to take the guidance of the central leadership in the wake of the present situation."

Besides Pradhan and Munda, senior party leaders like Yashwant Sinha, Raghuvar Das and several MLAs attended the core committee and legislature party meetings soon after major ruling ally JMM announced its decision to hand over a letter on withdrawal of support to Governor Syed Ahmed on Tuesday.

JMM's decision to withdraw support pushed the BJP-led government to a minority in the 82-member assembly where the two parties have equal strength with 18 each.