Munda in Delhi to woo rebels

In a bid to patch up differences with the four rebel Jharkhand leaders, new Chief Minister Arjun Munda will tonight hold talks with them in ...

In a bid to patch up differences with the four rebel Jharkhand leaders, new Chief Minister Arjun Munda will tonight hold talks with them in the presence of their central leaders — Janata Dal (United) president Sharad Yadav and Samata Party chief Nitish Kumar.

The rebels have already arrived in the Capital for discussions but the venue for the joint meeting has been kept a secret to avoid media glare.

According to sources, Munda is confident of winning back the rebels, all former ministers, as their demand for the ouster of Babulal Marandi from the chief ministerial post has been met by the BJP high command. Before leaving Ranchi, JD(U) leader Lalchand Mahato said: ‘‘We will call on the central leaders and press for an early rectification of the previous government’s misdeeds.’’

He did not sepcify the ‘‘misdeeds’’ but said their key demand was a Cabinet approval for all postings and transfers of Class-I officers.The other rebels, Madhu Singh, Ramesh Singh Munda and Jaleshwar Mahato, belong to the Samata Party. Three ministers, who had joined hands with them against Marandi, have since sided with Munda. Munda told reporters here that Governor M. Rama Jois has not asked him to prove his strength on the floor of the House. Asked how he plans to end the uncertainty generated by events preseding his assumption of office, Munda said he requires a legislative sanction for the budget in any case.