RANCHI, DEC 6: The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Monday vertically split with party vice-president Suraj Mandal challenging the central committee's decision to suspend him from the party for six years for his alleged anti-party activities and claiming support of a majority of JMM members.The JMM central committee announced Mandal's suspension from the party for six years at its two-day meeting in Dhanbad on Sunday. JMM(S) and JMM (Ulugulan) had recently united under the banner of JMM.Talking to reporters here on Monday, Mandal said he did not accept the central committee's decision as it went against the provisions of the party's constitution.Out of the 201-member strong central committee of the party, only 100 members attended Sunday's meeting and therefore its decision to suspend him from the party was not acceptable, Mandal argued.Claiming support of a majority of the party members, Mandal, who is also the vice-chairman of the Jharkhand Area Autonomous Council (JAAC), said he has convened a joint meeting of the party's central and executive committees, JAAC members and executive members and the district and bloc level office bearers of the party at Ranchi on December 15 to prove that the majority of the party members were still with him.``It will become crystal clear at the December 15 meeting that my suspension is illegal, undemocratic and unconstitutional,'' he said.Senior party leader and member of the party's executive committee Dr Ramdayal Munda who also addressed reporters and had attended the the party's central committee meeting in Dhanbad on Sunday, questioned the validity of the decision.He said less than half of the central committee members attended Sunday's meeting where the announcement of Suraj Mandal's suspension was made by party president Shibu Soren.Dr Munda complained that Mandal supporters in the central committee, who were willing to discuss the central committee's decision about Mandal, were not allowed to do so by the party president who suddenly adjourned the meeting after making the announcement.``By suspending Mandal from the party for six years, Soren has dealt a severe blow to the party's plans to launch the movement for a separate state with fresh ardour in the region,'' Munda said.Mandal said he had not been in favour of dividing the party at this critical hour when the anti-statehood forces are out to stall the creation of a separate Jharkhand state but he was helpless now that Soren had initiated the process of its division.
