Source: The Sangai Express / Agencies
New Delhi, June 01 2010:
The Union Cabinet on Tuesday recommended to President Pratibha Patil to impose Central rule in Jharkhand after the resignation of Chief Minister Shibu Soren ahead of a trust vote in the Assembly.
The Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, decided to recommend to the President to keep the state Assembly in suspended animation and impose Central rule.
Jharkhand Governor MOH Farooq had sent his report to the Centre yesterday after Congress and the BJP gave up efforts to form
a government.
Farooq is understood to have recommended President's Rule after meeting leaders of major political parties in Ranchi.
The Soren government was reduced to a minority on May 24 when BJP, with 18 MLAs and JD(U) with two, withdrew support to it.
The JMM, with 18 MLAs and having the support of seven other legislators, was short of the required 42 in the 82-member House.
The BJP took the decision after Soren voted against the cut motions sponsored by the opposition in Lok Sabha on April 27 .
Congress, with a strength of 14, and its ally JVM(P) with 11 members, said it did not have the numbers to stake claim to form a government.
The JMM-led government was reduced to minority after the BJP withdrew support on May 24 .
After its talks with the BJP collapsed on the issue of sharing power by rotation of 28 months each, the JMM was in talks with the Congress and JVM-P to form an alternative government and avoid a spell of central rule.
But with the Congress and the JVM-P failing to commit support, Soren had no other option but resign.
Jharkhand was plunged into political uncertainty since Soren voted against the BJP's cut motions in parliament last month.