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The Senior Congress leadership in Delhi has rejected the demand of disgruntled Congress legislators of Jharkhand asking them to join the party work in the State and prepare for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. 

 

Eight MLAs of the State Congress, who were in Delhi for the past four days demanding an immediate change in the ministerial posts allotted to the same legislators, who were ministers in the previous government led by former CM Hemant Soren, returned to Ranchi on Wednesday evening.

 

The legislators had meetings with State Congress in-charge Ghulam Ahmed Mir, senior leaders Umang Singhar and KC Venugopal in Delhi and were asked to go work for the party for Lok Sabha elections. 

 

However, the MLAs upon their return said that assurances of change have been made in the talks with senior leaders in Delhi. MLA Amba Prasad said that in Delhi there was a discussion with KC Venugopal and Umang Singhar on the change of Congress ministers in the Champai cabinet. She said that the leaders have given positive signals for change.

 

MLA Irfan Ansari said that they had not gone to ask for the post of Minister but to convey the sentiments of party workers and people. Irfan further said that talks with Venugopal and Singhar in Delhi will have an impact. He said that in the coming days, there will be changes both at the Cabinet and organization level.

MLA Rajesh Kachhap said that in Delhi, he informed Venugopal one by one about the situation of the Congress ministers of Jharkhand, the situation of the party and the situation of the party organisations.

 

He said that he talked to Venugopal about maintaining the Congress' support base in the state. He said that if party workers demand changes to preserve the Congress's support base, it should be considered. 

 

Kachhap said that if the demands are not met during the budget session, then the Congress MLAs will again go to Delhi.

 

MLA Umashankar Singh said that he has expressed his views to the top leaders of the party indicating that necessary steps need to be taken to strengthen the party.

 

The legislators, who had threatened not to attend the Budget session of the Assembly starting from February 23, will now attend the session and wait for the High Command to act on their demands till the end of the session.