The Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) on Saturday dismissed media reports about its president Babulal Marandi meeting a senior BJP leader, paving way for his return to the saffron party.
The party came with a statement in the backdrop of media reports speculating Marandi's coming back to the BJP. The reports also highlighted chance of Marandi becoming BJP's Legislature Party leader in the recently constituted Jharkhand House.
The speculation, as per the media reports, has been triggered by the fact that the BJP has not yet named its legislature party leader in the assembly even after a fortnight has passed since the election results were declared.
"He has not yet met any senior BJP leader anywhere. He has not at all discussed on the issue of BJPs legislature party leader, senior JVM-P leader and former general secretary Abhay Singh said in a press statement.
The newspapers claimed that Marandi met a senior BJP leader in Delhi and "may return to the saffron party" after January 14.
"Babulal Marandi never indulges in politics of bargaining. One should not forget that without any greed he relinquished the post of chief minister (in 2002) and also quit from the membership of Lok Sabha," Singh said.
Singh, however, was ambiguous in one of his lines saying "The whole party stands by Marandi in whatever decision he makes in the interest of the state or the nation. He has not met any senior BJP leader anywhere."
"Babulal Marandi is a clear leader and whatever decision he makes in the interest of the nation and in the interest of the people every worker of the party is with him,' Singh added.
He said that after the dissolution of JVM-Ps central committee on January 5, the party had authorised Marandi to re-constitute all committees from panchayat to central levels under the party constitution.
He added that Marandi is now on a foreign visit and a new team of the executive committee of the party would be formed on January 16.
"Only after that, the (new) executive committee will decide. The partys president will look into all the alternatives," Singh added.
Meanwhile, the party workers on Saturday celebrated Marandis 62nd birthday, cutting a cake at the party office here, distributed sweets and blankets among the poor, a JVM (P) release said.
Marandi, who served as first chief minister of Jharkhand after its creation out of Bihar in 2000, had resigned in 2002 after some of his ministers crossed the floor during the budget session. He was succeeded by Arjun Munda.
Later, Marandi won Lok Sabha elections in 2004, but he resigned from the House membership as well as the primary membership of the BJP and formed JVM-P, apparently peeved over the then saffron party leadership.
Marandi also handed a letter of unconditional support to the new JMM-Congress-RJD government and Chief Minister Hemant Soren also mentioned JVM-Ps three MLAs along with the list of 47 MLAs of JMM-Congress-RJD.
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